Forevermore
by Beyond the Bounds-Zenithos
Summary: The Heir to the Urashimaryu's destiny has been determined.But will he accept it?As he drowns further and further into the darkness of his own heart,can the light of a maiden's soul lift him back up?KeixTsu.Rewritten by Zenithos.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own Love Hina. It belongs to Akamatsu Ken and Tokyo Pop. The original concept belongs to Beyond The Bounds. All the rewritten sections belong to me.

Chapter1: Duty?

Original Concept by Beyond The Bounds

Rewritten and continued by Zenithos

Hiya, my name's Zenithos and I'm covering for BTB as he's currently too busy with university business. Most of Forevermore has been rewritten, under BTB's orders, to address certain issues. Unfortunately, in the rewritten version, Lee Davis has been cut out. We're sorry for the inconvenience. We sincerely hope that you enjoy this rewritten version. Thank you.

I am still a beginner fanfic writer, and as yet I still lack experience. Your comments, opinions, and suggestions, would be invaluable in helping me improve and develop my capability to give the very best of the best for you readers. Thank you in advance.

If you'd like to see beta versions of the story before they are published, feel free to visit the fanfiction forum s14(dot)invisionfree(dot)com(slash)The(underscore)Fanfiction(underscore)Forum. Thank you.

Proofread by David Alan Abramscyzk. I can't thank you enough for your support during the rewriting of this story.

I would also like to thank the friendly people at the Fanfiction Forum for all their help in making this rewrite possible. Thank you.

* * *

1992

Rain…thunder…lightning…patches of the sky lit up as fiery bolts slash across the stricken sky. More rain…falling in ice cold sheets…penetrating every bit of his skin. The cold, dagger-like, stabbed into his bones, chilling his very blood. Needless to say, he was soaked, to the point where the expression 'to the skin' just didn't cut it anymore. His water-clad shirt and trousers were sagging down, weighing him down. But nothing felt heavier than his heart at that very moment.

More lightning flashed across the sky. This time, it lit up a long, curved, shiny jet black stick-like object in his hands. Before him, its contours deepening under the effect of the blitzing light, were the stone inscriptions, "Urashima Keiko, 1979-1992, an angelic daughter, a dear sister, and a good friend. May she find eternal peace." His hands shook as he fell to his knees. The stick-like object fell with a dull splash into a dark puddle of mud at the foot of the stone on which the words were inscribed. His tears merged seamlessly with the relentless rain. Forwards he fell, before bowing before the white tombstone.

"Wh…WHY?!"

"Keitaro-kun?" A voice, slightly above a whisper, came from behind him. The rain suddenly ceased to fall on him. He could hear the rapid rapping of the rain on something that could only be a traditional Japanese umbrella. A hand touched him on the shoulder.

"Tsu…Tsuruko-chan…" He looked up into her face. She was kneeling beside him, a paper lantern in one hand, an umbrella in another. She placed the paper lantern she was holding in the mud and raised a hand to Keitaro's face. She shook it a bit and grasped a bit of the long sleeve of her gi before wiping some mud and tears off his face.

"Keitaro-kun…Keiko-chan wouldn't have wanted to see you crying all alone like this…" She said gently, looking deep into his eyes. She raised her hands and pulled him gently into a tight, sisterly embrace.

"Tsuruko…chan…" He sobbed. "I…I…"

"Keitaro…kun…" She whispered. "Please, don't cry…I'm here for you." She tightened her embrace. "You're not alone….you'll never be alone….I promise."

* * *

6 years later…

"So…this is the Hinata Sou…" Keitaro said, a slight bit of awe inherent is his otherwise seemingly uninterested voice. The air was blistering hot for springtime, perhaps a foreshadowing of the fiery summer to come. The sun was high overhead, its rays streaming down gently through the sakura leaves around him. His clothes were soaked through completely, from his simple shirt to humble black trousers. A gentle breeze blew by, raising the loose bandages wrapped around a long, curved, stick-like object on his back. His only other piece of luggage was his modest black school bag containing everything he could scoop up before getting kicked out of home.

As many others before him, he paused at the end of the arduous flight of stairs up the Hinata Hill as he regarded the ancient majesty before him, the Hinata Sou. It looked down upon him, with an air of one grown wise and sagely with age as it watched the people who've come in and out. He gratefully entered the cool shade of the living room as he called out, "Hello?! Grandma? Is anyone home?" He scanned the living room, half darkened due to the glare of the sun outside. "Man…even the bell boy isn't here….I guess it was just too hot to work…" He sighed, placing his shoes neatly by the verandah before walking into the living room.

A flight of stairs and a short walk later, he was in his grandma's room…which was devoid of his eccentric grandma. "That's strange…oh well, I guess I'll just wait until she gets back." He placed the bandaged stick-like object reverently on the table in the room before looking about the room. It was your standard traditional Japanese room, with rich yellowish green tatami mats. He decided to get up and walk around to find some breeze from the windows, swinging his arms about casually as he did. Then he came by something that immediately attracted his eyes….

Its surface gleamed under the gentle spring sunlight. Keitaro picked up the small photo frame from the top of the old armoire and took a closer look at it. There wasn't a speck of dust on it, which could only mean it meant a lot to the owner. It was a family photo, probably taken around 10 years ago. He managed to identify himself, standing by his smiling parents. Grandma Hina, Aunt Haruka, a tall man in a white labcoat, and a few other people were also in the photograph, happily smiling at him…and there was her…

* * *

6 years ago…

"Keitaro-kun…" She swept up her long white cloak backwards before sitting down beside him. They were both sitting on the verandah, looking out at the frost covered landscape. The winter winds had come in earlier than expected. She placed her blade beside her and sighed, letting out a small puff of steam out into the chilly air.

"Tsuruko-chan…I…I'm sorry…I should be calling you Aoyama-san now…" He shook his head quickly and bowed his head. "Forgive me for my rudeness."

"Emm hmm…" She shook her head. "There's no need for formalities…" She looked up at the overcast sky. "We're still best friends…nothing will change that." She raised her hand up to the sky as the first snowflakes began to twirl down.

"I…are you leaving?" He looked up at her. She lowered her hand, got up and pulled her white scarf off. She wrapped it around Keitaro's black jumper and stood back to admire the effect.

"So kawai…" She giggled, before sitting back down.

"Tsu…Tsuruko-chan…"

"Yes, Keitaro-kun. I'm leaving tomorrow. Now that the engagement details are settled, I must return to my duties." Tsuroko said, closing her eyes.

"Tsu…Tsuruko-chan…are you really all right with all this?" He asked, unconsciously grasping the scarf.

"It's an honour and a privilege, Urashima-san…" She bowed. "Or rather…that's what I should say." She looked up at him and smiled enigmatically.

"Ah…I…I'm sorry…" Keitaro bowed his head again.

"Nothing to worry about, Keitaro-kun. We'll take everything one step at a time." She said, closing her eyes again, her small mysterious smile still in place. "It's our duty…"

Nothing more was said…they just sat together, watching as the snowflakes slowly twirled in a slow earthward dance. Before long, she had rested her head on his shoulders. Neither noticed the other blushing bright red, neither had the courage to look at each other's face, both uncertain about the other's feelings. No words were said until they parted.

* * *

"…Tsuruko-chan…" Keitaro gently touched the face of the serenely smiling girl in the picture and sighed. He placed the photograph back where it belonged and fell backwards onto the warm tatami mats. He let out a long sigh as he raised his hand before him. He regarded it for a moment before letting it fall onto the tatami mats with a heavy thud.

It just so happened that his hand fell on his open bag, on a pamphlet to be precise. He brought it up before him as he looked the pamphlet while still lying on his back. It was crumpled and creased from repeated reading. The first page bore the photograph and emblem of his current goal, 'Tokyo-U'. He just sighed again. "So…Tokyo-U…" He closed his eyes. "I wonder…why was it I wanted to go in the first place?" He started to reflect on his life…the fact that he has never had a girlfriend…or any proper interactions with any members of the opposite sex outside his family either. It wasn't his fault either…

As his reminiscence reached the events a few hours ago, he started to scowl. "Damn it…why on earth were we born into such a family…" Not that Keitaro hated his family…he just hated the entire system to which his entire family was bound…it has caused all of them nothing but suffering, as far as he was concerned. Keiko-chan was barely 13 when it happened…and he blamed the Urashima-ryu for everything. Just a few hours ago he went through what he swore would be the last row he would ever have under the Urashima clan's roof as he and his parents diplomatically went over a few trivial family matters…such as why he should give up Tokyo-U…how he should just continue the family business…and off course, the most trivial and unimportant of all…engagements…

Needless to say…he was ecstatic about it…and so was Kanako…

"Seriously son, I can't see why you're so obstinate…it's for the good of our school. She's a good daughter of a really well-respected school. As much as we dislike the idea of pre-arranged unions, it's the only way we could ensure the preservation of both schools. Keiko, God rest her soul, would have been more than enthusiastic…" His father had said, right before Keitaro exploded, upon hearing Keiko's name come into the discussion. A few moments later, he was out the door, his belongings in one hand, pure hatred in another. At least Kanako still understood him, though all she did was voice her support for him through a simple letter. Apparently studies were taking up a lot of her time.

After a few moments of silence, he got up. "I guess Grandma won't be back any time soon…oh well, guess I should go take a shower or something. I'm getting nowhere being depressed like this…" He walked out of the room and descended the stairs. "Hmmm…I think I saw a bathroom around…hey…what's this?" he crouched by a door and touched the floor. It was wet. Something was flooding from the other side of the wooden sliding door.

* * *

Meanwhile, a few hundred kilometers away to the west of Kanagawa, the other side of the story unfolds…

A few sakura petals floated by, carried in the gentle breeze. She took a deep refreshing breath as she paused while sweeping the large courtyard. She closed her eyes as she savoured the fresh scent of spring. Her hakama and gi rustled gently in the caressing breeze.

"Tsuruko-sempai!" A voice called from across the courtyard. She opened her eyes and looked at the little girl who had just called her. She smiled a serene smile and continued sweeping.

"Setsuna-chan…finished morning training?" She asked with her usual gentle smile as she greeted the 6 year old black haired swordsgirl.

"Hai, sempai….umm…sempai?" She asked, a slight tone of uncertainty inherent in her voice.

"Yes, Setsuna-chan?"

"I…I heard…you're…leaving?" Little Setsuna asked. Tsuruko remained silent for a moment. "Go…Gomenasai, Sempai…" Setsuna stammered as she bowed clumsily. "I didn't realize you didn't want to speak about it." Setsuna's normally refined composure merely broke down every time she faced the sempai she respected beyond anything.

"It's all right. Yes…Setsuna-chan…that is correct." Tsuruko said. "But only for a short while. I must meet someone in Tokyo."

"Oh…is it Motoko-sempai?" Setsuna asked.

"Well, yes. But not only her. There is someone else I must meet. My fiancé…" She smiled as she blushed slightly.

"Oh…what is a fiancé?" Little Setsuna asked.

"It is someone to whom we've promised our hearts to." Tsuruko said, sitting down on the verandah of a nearby building. She patted the space beside her, gesturing Setsuna to sit down as well. Setsuna scrabbled onto the raised platform and did her best to copy her sempai's way of sitting.

"What is your…fiancé like?" Setsuna asked, her curiosity on hyperdrive.

"Well…" Tsuruko blushed slightly as she recalled what her fiancé was like. They rarely met, and even when they did, a strict air of formality always commanded both. It was so different from their childhood days when they were best friends. "Well…one thing to note…he's a bit clumsy…" She chuckled.

* * *

"Eh? It's warm…" Keitaro gently knocked on the wooden door before deciding to let himself inside since no one answered and if there was anyone inside, there wouldn't be any flooding in the first place. He took his socks and rolled up his trouser beforehand. He walked through what seemed like a changing room towards another door which he judged to be the source of the flooding.

A shroud of thick steam assaulted him as he opened the doors. "Oh man…hot springs?" He looked about, trying to make his way through the dense steam…stepping through inch deep water…before the water ceased to be inch deep, dropping straight to a full one meter. "IYAAAAAAAAGH!" He shouted, as he suddenly treaded water and plunged straight in.

* * *

"He's…sweet and caring, always there with solutions to other people's problems…though he's hopeless at solving his own." Tsuruko said, closing her eyes as she looked back at the past. Setsuna cocked her head to one side as she tried to imagine this person.

* * *

"Oh darn…" He spluttered, wiping stinging hot water from his eyes. He practically burned himself upon falling. He looked about, trying to see what he could do, before noticing something at the bottom of the pool. "A valve?" He asked, taking off his water logged shirt. "Well…this might help…" He said, taking off his sodden water-heavy trousers, leaving him in his boxers. He placed them on a stone by the hot spring before diving down and turning the valve. It resisted obstinately at first, before finally giving away and creaking slowly, letting out a burst of bubbles. Keitaro grunted and heaved the valve all the way to full before kicking off the floor and breaking the surface.

He gasped as he took a deep breath and looked around in satisfaction as he saw that the water was no longer flowing outwards from the pool. "Right…at least I got that fixed…" He was about to get out when a nearby voice startled him.

"Oh…the water's overflowing…but I guess it's fine. I'll just get Haruka-san to call in the repairman later." A female voice said, as Keitaro heard the sound of the soft splash and gurgle of someone sliding into the water. "Ah….the hot springs are so great, especially at noon…"

* * *

"He's very courteous, polite, very refined in his ways…" Tsuruko said. "Especially to girls."

"So he's a nice person?" Setsuna asked, summing everything up into a single word.

"Why…yes." Tsuruko smiled at Setsuna's choice of words. "As simple as that…yes, he's a really nice person."

* * *

"Oh…crap…" Keitaro thought, as he tried to swim away…but against all the laws of reality, the owner of the voice approached him from behind the thick mist and asked him…

"Hey, do you think my breasts have gotten larger lately?" The brown haired young woman asked, blowing them out to Keitaro, who immediately shrank backwards out of pure fear and shock…who is this girl? And how long can he hold this nosebleed? Not that he wanted to think unholy thoughts…it was just impossible not to notice…err…certain things at that moment. And it was her exhibiting 'em too. "Hey, I'll let you touch'em too!" The young woman said, grasping Keitaro's hands.

"H…hey!" Keitaro shouted, before he could stop himself. But it was out of pure reflex. He had to try and maintain SOME decency.

"Huh?" The girl picked up a pair of specs and looked at Keitaro through them…before letting them fall out of pure shock.

* * *

"He's very soft-spoken. He always chooses his words carefully." Tsuruko said.

* * *

"Ok…let me explain…just…calm down, ok?" Keitaro said, trying to regain control over the critical situation…

The young woman's lips quivered…before she opened them wide. Keitaro held out his hands, trying to make gestures for her to calm down…but it was too late. "WAAAAAAAAAAAAH! HELP! SOMEONE! HELP! THERE'S A PERVERT! A PERVERT!"

* * *

"He's a very responsible person…always in control of the situation." Tsuruko smiled.

* * *

Before he could think of anything else, his self-preservation instincts sent lightning fast impulses to his legs to immediately initiate the most basic self-preservation maneuver - run. He slipped and slid his way to the changing rooms. In his panic, he accidentally slid headlong into…something soft. He slowly looked up as, to his horror, it started to dawn on him the nature of the soft object he had just rammed into…

"Uhh…Hello there…I don't think I've ever seen you around here before." The blonde haired young woman to whom the soft objects belonged to said, gently trying to dislodge the shell-shocked Keitaro.

"Mitsune! That's the pervert! Stop him! Quick!" The young woman from the baths earlier slid into view in the opening to the hot springs and pointed an accusing finger at Keitaro.

"Hey! Stop right there!" the woman named Mitsune shouted as Keitaro immediately bounded away, accidentally knocking over a dark-skinned girl carrying a basket of clothes as he did so. One of her undies chose to cling onto him, branding him as an undie thief as well as a pervert.

"Damn…how come the girls keep on showing up one by one?!" Keitaro shouted as he slid out of the changing rooms and into corridor beyond. Behind him, the rampaging beave of a hunting party rushed out of the changing rooms and went straight after him.

He couldn't help but hear the faint yet distinct whine of a device of some sort starting up. Against his better judgment, he looked over his shoulders. Needless to say, he didn't like what he saw.

* * *

"…very tolerant to others…though one can't help thinking that his head's in the clouds sometimes…" Tsuruko continued.

* * *

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrghhhhhhh!" He screamed as he spun up into the bright blue sky, propelled forth by what could only have been a thermonuclear explosion. "Wha…what was that?!" He looked behind him. The dark-skinned girl was right behind him, blazing hot plasma flaming out of the back of her school backpack, a nuclear launcher over one shoulder.

"Errr…can we talk about this?" Keitaro asked. The dark skinned girl merely grinned as the lock-on tone (which sounded a lot like the la cucaracha theme for some reason) filled the silence. "….Apparently not…" Keitaro braced for impact as the girl flew up to a higher altitude and squeezed the trigger. The sun shone bright for a moment behind her dark silhouette before the light from the cannon lit up her smiling face.

What happened next could only be described in terms of blast radius, gravity, acceleration, and force of impact.

"Ouch…Owies…" Keitaro heaved himself out of a smoking crater in the garden a moment later. As he tried to shake off the daze from having been thumped on the head by a class 6 nuclear warhead, he saw something else worth thinking about…the 2 other girls from the baths. They were kicking up a stream of dust as they approached him at a demonic speed.

Deciding that staying put would lower his life expectancy, Keitaro started to make tracks. Before long, he found himself back in the hot springs corridor with not 2 but 3 girls behind him. The blonde haired one, the brown haired one, and the dark skinned one too. In a way, he always fantasized about what it would be like being chased by girls…now he decided that it was probably a bit overrated.

He noticed another girl in the corridor, a dark-blue haired one in an apron. She shrieked as she looked up and noticed him. "Oh God….not more of them…" Keitaro sighed inwardly.

* * *

"Even my little sister is quite fond of him …" Tsuroko's face turned into a slight frown, though her smile still lingered. "…I think…" She added.

* * *

"Ah…There you are, unholy scum… Another girl, a raven haired beauty in a hakama and gi, said, as she slid her katana an inch out of its sheath. She looked up at Keitaro, her eyes narrowing.

"Not another one…" Keitaro moaned, before the ki wave she sent roaring in his direction blew him through a wall and out into the courtyard.

"Wait…was he…?" the raven haired swordswoman watched as Keitaro picked himself up and hightailed it straight down another corridor. Her hair flew up as it was caught up in the draft raised by the three blurs behind him. "No…it couldn't be. He's just a fiendish monster."

A few moments later…he found himself cornered with nowhere left to run, atop a tall wooden platform-like structure on one side of the Hinata Sou. "Err…ok…I uhhh…came here to find my grandma…and errr…I was hoping she'd let me …stay at this inn…I assure you I didn't intend to peek or anything…and… errr…I was just… trying…to…fix… that…" He faced the gathering of girls and started to explain, putting on the most diplomatic smile he could put on…he was about to learn that diplomacy in Hinata Sou worked in a completely different way. To be precise, in a way that would make trigger fingers like Hitler and Napoleon jump with glee.

"EAT MY ATOMIC PUNCH!"

"SHINMEI-RYU OUGI! HIKEN! ZAN GAN KEN!"

"NUKE BERSERKER!"

"Ah…why me?" Keitaro wondered, as he was flung across the platform, skidding and sliding before smashing into the railing. "That…smarts…" He rubbed his head in pain as he tried to decide which side was up.

"What do you mean you want to stay at this inn? Try and make more believable lies next time. This place used to be an inn a long time ago, but now, it's a male-prohibited contract dormitory…in other words, an all female's dormitory. Now…you will come quietly with us to the police station. You've got a lot of guts breaking into this particular dorm…" The brown haired girl he had met in the hot springs bore down on him, her eyes flashing menacingly.

* * *

"He's…honest…too honest sometimes. He's the noblest of people…no matter what others said about him, he always chose the path he believes to be right. But…sometimes, others take advantage of his good nature…" Tsuruko sighed. "He tends to let others have their way with him. That's where Keiko used to come in…"

Needless to say, Setsuna was getting slightly lost at that point as Tsuruko gradually immersed herself deeper and deeper in her own thoughts.

* * *

"P…Please, just listen for a moment…I didn't mean to peek…the water was overflowing and…." Keitaro tried to appeal once again. Just then, someone else walked up to the platform.

"Haruka-san! We've caught this pervert!" The brown haired girl shouted, pointing at Keitaro.

"Oh…if it isn't my good ol' nephew, Keitaro…" The dark haired woman who had just walked up onto the platform said in what could only be described as a bored tone, while taking a drag on her cigarette.

"Haruka? Haruka-san?" Keitaro looked up at her. "Haruka-san! Long time no see!" Keitaro ran up and hugged her in relief and…to some extent…joy…finally, someone familiar.

"eh?" Everyone just stared.

"As happy as I am to see you, nephew…it would be a lot nicer if you would save your hugs and kisses until you're a tad bit more presentable…you look like you just lost a major game of strip poker…" Haruka said, gently dislodging the overjoyed Keitaro. "Get some clothes on and we can talk about this…"

* * *

"So…that's the situation?" Haruka asked, right after Keitaro finished his explanation. He kept it simple, limiting everything to university entrance only. They were all seated in the Hinata-Sou's spacious living room, all trying to decide what to do with the sudden intruder. Well, not try to decide perse. Most of them had already decided.

"ABSOLUTELY NOT! This place's an all girl's dormitory! I would never allow a pervert like you to stay here for even a day!" The brown haired girl screamed. The only thing keeping her from pummeling Keitaro again was the hands of the blonde girl.

"I…I didn't know the inn had been turned into an all girls' dormitory…" Keitaro said.

"I said no, and that means no!"

"b…but…I am the owner's grandson after all…"

"Peeping, breaking into the hotsprings…" The brown haired girl was laying charges faster than a person who just stole a wallet full of credit cards. Keitaro seemed to grow smaller with every accusation. When the charges came to the subject of flashing before a 12 year old girl, the victim in question tried to defend the accused by saying she didn't really see anything cause it was so small, resulting the accused diminishing at a faster rate.

"I was so sure grandma would let me stay, so I didn't bring any money with me. Oh yeah…where is Grandma, anyway?" Keitaro asked, scratching the back of his head, a sign of slight frustration.

"Unfortunately she took off on a trip around the world about a year ago…" Haruka said, taking a long drag on her cancer stick. "She hasn't been back since."

"Oh...so…she's not here…" Keitaro sighed. 'I guess…fate really does work…as father says…' he thought.

He decided to admit defeat and get up to leave. "Yeah…I guess, I have no right to force my presence on you people…me being a boy and all. It's not right for a boy to live in an all girls' dorm, I guess. Sorry for disturbing all of you." He bowed.

"…you should be a Tokyo-U student now, right?" Haruka said, deciding on a new tactic.

"Huh? Uhh…Haruka-san…about that…" Keitaro laughed, scratching the back of his head. But before he could elaborate, Haruka knocked him on the head with a paper fan, signaling him to be quiet. Just then, the room erupted as all the girls started enquiring about him being a Tokyo-U student. In less than a second, he went from unwelcome to worshipped. Just then, the room erupted as all the girls started enquiring about him being a Tokyo-U student. In less than a second, he went from unwelcome to worshipped.

"It's settled, right? We can let him stay and be our tutors." The blonde haired girl said in a final tone, as if to wrap up the matter.

"Wa…wait just a second, Mitsune!" The brown haired girl protested.

"What, you're going to toss out this poor young man out into the cold, harsh night? He came here looking for his grandmother after all…." Mitsune said, putting on a sorrowful face.

"It's almost summer….the nights aren't that cold anymore…" The brown haired girl tried to put up an argument.

"But that's so cruel…" the blue haired girl whispered, tears brimming in her eyes.

"Anyway….now that everything's settled…WELCOME TO THE HINATA INN!" The blonde haired girl shouted. Everyone else shouted out the last 5 words along with her…all with the exception of the brown haired girl.

"What?! What was settled?!" She cried, but to no avail.

"Ok then, Shinobu-chan…what's for dinner?" Mitsune immediately turned around to leave the room, her mind changing gears completely.

"hmmmphh…how could you people take this so lightly…" The brown haired girl grumbled as she too got up to leave. The other two girls, the dark skinned one and the dark blue haired one, followed suite.

"So…Keitaro…I don't think anyone could've thought of a bigger entrance…" Haruka sighed, as she stubbed out her cigarette. She took out her packet of cigarettes and bit a fresh one off.

"Sorry about that, Haruka-san." Keitaro laughed.

"I heard about the circumstances behind your leaving home…" Haruka turned her eyes towards Keitaro.

"Ah…about that…" Keitaro looked down.

"Don't worry about it…I don't blame you for leaving…in fact, your father did the exact same thing. Though back then, he was already best friends with your mother…he was only uncomfortable with the idea of having to force his best friend into marrying him. But your mother agreed to it wholeheartedly, and when she did, your father also decided to go through with it…it was quite a tale." Haruka reminisced. "I'm sure he didn't tell you this…"

"No…he didn't…" Keitaro said.

"Off course he didn't. He didn't want to inspire the same rebellious spirit in you…but I guess genetics took its toll." Haruka smiled. "The thing is, Keitaro, you, as the heir to the Urashima-ryu, have a duty to uphold…"

"Not you too, Haruka-san…." Keitaro sighed, getting up. "I've had enough of this 'duty' you're all so proud of…"

"Keiko-chan, may she rest in peace, died carrying out her duties." Haruka said, taking another drag on her cigarette.

"That's what I'm against, Haruka-san. She died…and for what? Duty?" Keitaro asked, rhetorically.

"She carried out her task as an Urashima-ryu heir to the very end. And that, Keitaro, not her duty, but what she accomplished through it, is something to be proud of. Now…the school's task is to protect the weak and the unjustly treated. To that end, the school must survive. And right now, the school's dwindling…we need to unite with another school in order to survive…for that, we need you, the heir to the Urashima-ryu, to marry the heir of another school. That simple." Haruka said. "We're not asking you to risk your life or anything."

"It's not that simple…I mean…she deserves someone…a lot better. I'm seriously not worthy of someone like her…" Keitaro said. "I don't care…if they told me I had to go die for the Urashima-ryu, then so be it. But I can't ruin someone else's life for the sake of the school."

"What your problem is, young man, is your confidence. I'm not going to preach further…I'm sure your parents have given you a hell load of all that…but I will suggest you think things over. I believe she's thinking the exact same way." She said, standing up. "Well then, Keitaro, I forgot to say, welcome to Hinata Sou."

* * *

"Tsuruko-sempai? Do you love him?" Setsuna asked, though truth be told, her idea of 'love' went as far as cuddling teddy bears.

"…Yes. I love him." Tsuruko smiled.

"Tsuruko-san!" A young man shouted from the other side of the courtyard as he ran towards her.

"Setsuna-chan…I think it's time for your lessons now. Run along. We'll talk more later." Tsuruko smiled down at Setsuna.

"Hai, sempai." Setsuna said, getting up and running away towards the main building.

"Tsuruko-san. I made it…I've been selected as head sensei of the dojo." The young man shouted with excitement as he reached her.

"What wonderful news, Kojiro-san. This is certainly a day to celebrate." Tsuruko smiled up at him as she got up.

"Tsuruko-san...now that I've finally reached a respectable position in our school…I…I…" He blushed a bright red as he stammered. He closed his eyes in frustration as he tried to blurt out his words.

"Shhhh…" Tsuruko shushed, raising a finger to her smiling lips and closing her eyes. "I know what you'd like to say."

"Ye…yes?! You do?!" Kojiro asked. "Tsuruko-san!"

"But, unfortunately…my heart already belongs to someone else…" Tsuruko said, still smiling, though in a rather sad way.

"A…U…Nani?" Kojiro was at a loss for words in his shock.

"I apologize, Kojiro-san…your feelings mean a lot to me. They really do. However…" She looked up at the sky towards the south. "My heart is no longer mine to give away…" She smiled as she blushed slightly and chuckled. "Though…I…I fear for his feelings…"

"Wh…who?" Kojiro stammered, trying to get over the shock.

"…" Tsuruko merely smiled her usual mysterious smile as she closed her eyes.

* * *

To be continued… 


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: The Board is Set 

Original Concept by Beyond The Bounds 

Rewritten by Zenithos

Disclaimer: I don't own Love Hina. It belongs to Akamatsu Ken and Tokyo Pop. The story concept belongs to Beyond the Bounds. The rewritten sections belong to me. Everything else that doesnt belong to anyone I mentioned above belongs to someone else. 

Proofread by David Alan Abramsczyk. Thank you for making this rewrite possible. 

And again thanks to everyone at the FTT. 

I'm still an inexperienced writer and each and every comment, opinion, even flame (constructive) means a lot to me. Thank you.

* * *

The Main Shinmei-ryu Dojo, Kyoto, the day Keitaro arrived in Hinata Sou…

"The Hiyoshi family extends their greetings, Matriarch." The huge stocky man said with a smile, which, strangely, didn't extend to his cold calculating eyes. He seemed to be putting on a casual front, despite the absolute respect and formality the ancient clan hall he was sitting in commanded. Beside him sat a young man who seemed to be the embodiment of elegance…or at least, he was trying to look the part. Both were wearing traditional hakamas and gis, but had gone out of their way to look different and dignified. The results? Instant snobbishness.

"Oro…arigatou. Likewise on behalf of the Aoyama family." A woman's voice from the other side of a large white screen said. Her silhouette, highlighted by the gentle sun rays filtering in through the rice paper windows, bowed slightly in reply. "To what do I owe the honour of this visit?" She asked, with tones that underlined her true intended words, 'what do you want?'

"Ah…prudent as always, Matriarch." The man bowed slightly. "Very well then, straight to the point. I would like to remind you that, ah…according to ancient codes of tradition, the leadership of our Shinmei-ryu school must, ehem, be in the hands of a male." The man leered slightly. "After the…ah…unfortunate passing of our esteemed late Patriarch 9 years ago, we have been without a formal Patriarch."

"I am aware of that, Hiyoshi-sama." The woman said with leveled tones from behind her screen. "But the codes of tradition also state that the Matriarch may conduct the duties of the patriarch until the eldest son of the leading family reaches a suitable age to take up the said duties. In the event that the leading family does not bear any sons, then the Matriach may still conduct the said duties until the family's eldest daughter is of age to marry a man of a swordsmanship background. The said man will then become the new Patriarch. I don't think I have to explain the other scenario."

"Yes, Matriarch, I am certainly aware of these rules." The man said, still smiling. "Which is why I have brought you a solution; my son here. Your eldest daughter, Tsuruko-ojou-sama, is already of age to wed. What better man to marry than my son, the eldest of one of the largest of the Shinmei-ryu noble families." The man patted the young man beside him on the back who smiled a little, confident smile.

"My eldest daughter is already engaged." The woman said, with a slight edge of triumph. She snapped the sentence into the air, as a victorious commander would flourish his sword. She was rather grateful for the white screen. She just couldn't help smirking in satisfaction.

"Wh…what? To who? When?" The man suddenly seemed to lose his calm. A trace of a flicker was evident in his son's otherwise calm face.

"Yes, engaged. To the heir of the Urashima-ryu, which, I'm sure you already know, is a highly regarded school of elite swordsmanship. As to when, the engagement took place 6 years ago…I believe I also invited your family…though we sorely missed your presence at the ceremony." The woman said, though it seemed she failed to voice her disappointment over the Hiyoshi family not coming to the engagement.

"I...I see…We must have missed the invitation. My apologies, Matriarch." The man said, bowing stiffly, though only just as much as he needed to.

"No apologies needed. I'm sure you had your reasons." The woman said.

"Well, in the event that your eldest daughter fails to marry by the age of 16, you do know that the title of Patriarch is supposed to go to the male head of the next family in line. Apparently, you daughter is 3 years overdue." The man said, his smile returning.

"Excuse me?" The woman asked. The man was happy to notice the very slight signs of discomfort in the venerable matriarch from across the screen. That little bit of news must've shook her quite a bit, to be able to affect her even that much.

"I have the details here. Apparently, it was one of the rules first laid down at the founding of the school, though unfortunately it has been overlooked for the past few hundred years." The man took out a dusty scroll out of a small box by his side. The female attendant sitting on one side of the screen stood up and took the scroll from the man's hands. She went behind the screen and handed it to the matriarch.

The man smiled with satisfaction as the silhouette of the woman unfurled the scroll and seemed to read through it. She then rolled it back up and returned it to the attendant who returned it to the man.

"Yes, the document does seem legitimate. But the law says that this could only happen should the next family in line present a document of approval signed by at least 7 of the 12 Shinmei-ryu noble families." The woman said. "Also, upon presentation of the said document, the said eldest daughter will be given a grace period of 6 months in which she must find and marry a suitable husband to be proclaimed patriarch. Should she fail to do so, then the next family in line will be allowed the position. Until you've provided me with such a document, then I'm afraid my daughter has all the time in the world."

"I already have the signatures of 5 of the noble families, Aoyama-sama. If you wish to retain power, then I suggest you consider marrying your daughter to my son. Otherwise, we will take over the school by other means." The man said, all formalities shed as he stood up. "Good luck to you and your daughter, Aoyama-sama." He turned around. "Come, Hayato." He opened the door and walked out onto the verandah.

"Iyaaaaaaaaaan!" a small voice cried out, accompanied by the sound of smashing china. He looked down at the small figure in a hakama and gi he had just knocked down. It was little Setsuna. A tray and a number of smashed tea china were all strewn around her sprawled figure.

"Get out of my way, filthy half-breed!" The man shouted, as he kicked Setsuna aside.

"Hiyoshi-sama!" The woman's voice from behind the screen shouted. "You can insult me all you want, but I will not tolerate the mistreatment of any members of my house!"

"Hah…when my family rules, these half-breeds will be the first to go." He laughed as he stepped on the homemade cookies that were strewn on the floor beside the tray.

Setsuna's lips quivered as she started to gather the broken china and the tray.

"Setsuna-chan…" The woman walked up to her from behind her screen. She was a figure who didn't possess beauty…she radiated it. It was a splendour that blinds the eyes with its radiance. Her silky black hair shone in the pale spring sunshine as she walked out onto the verandah where Setsuna was. "Come, allow me to help you."

"A…Aoyama-sama! My humble apologies! P…Please forgive my carelessness!" She cried out as she bowed down to the floor.

"Come now…Setsuna-chan." The woman pulled Setsuna into an embrace. "I value you just as much as I value my daughters." She smiled down at her. "Never take the blame over things like that. It's unbefitting of a child like you…" She chuckled. "….tell you what, as soon as we clean this mess up, we'll have tea together in my room." She gently caressed the crying child as the attendant diligently cleaned up the mess. "Thank you, Sanaka-san." The woman smiled up at the attendant. "I'm afraid I will have to trouble you to make some tea though. Can you please see to that?"

"Hai, Aoyama-sam." The attendant bowed slightly, smiling. "Excuse me, Aoyama-sama, would it trouble you if I asked you something?"

"Please do."

"What of Tsuruko-sama?"

"Please keep all this a secret from her. I don't want to pressure her to marry…she must do so of her own free will." The woman sighed. "To be honest, I would be more than happy to relinquish the title of patriarch to another family…but unfortunately the next family in line is the Hiyoshi…"

"A secret it will be, Aoyama-sama."

Meanwhile, around the corner, an almost perfect replica of the woman, though obviously much younger, was wearing a troubled expression. 'I…I must leave for Tokyo immediately…' Tsuruko thought as she swiftly walked away. Needless to say, she had listened in on the entire conversation.

* * *

"Hmmm…his name does seem familiar…" the raven-haired swordswoman wondered aloud, walking down the corridor while attentively watching Naru follow Keitaro all over the courtyard below, broomstick in hand. "So is his face…but where could I have met such a perverted low-life…." She wondered, trying to dig up past memories as she walked by Haruka.

Haruka calmly watched Motoko go by, sighing. 'Motoko-chan doesn't remember, does she?' She thought to herself, shaking her head. As Motoko rounded the corner, another figure came up towards Haruka.

"So….you're one of the seven, are you?" Haruka asked, taking out a cigarette as she watched Shinobu approach Keitaro down in the courtyard. She knew it was no use beating around the bush with these kinds of people. Small talk was wasted on them, so she quickly went straight to the main topic. "Isn't it to early though? He's not quite ready yet, is he?" She asked, lighting up, before offering her conversation partner her pack of cigarettes. Well, her conversation partner was actually stretching the definition quite far, as so far Haruka, quiet as she was, was the one supplying all the talk.

The conversation partner, a young, light-blue haired teenage girl, politely shook her head and put up a hand in polite refusal. There was something about her ruby-red eyes that somehow unsettled Haruka, despite her calm and quiet demeanor. "The time draws near. He must be prepared. It is his duty." The girl said in a quiet, whisper-like voice, almost an ethereal echo.

"Well, I'm guessing you're going to be staying here for quite a bit then." Haruka said, though she was fervently praying for the opposite. Meanwhile, out on the courtyard, Shinobu was offering Keitaro a plate of homemade confectionary delights, which immediately made the impression Shinobu was aiming for.

"Perhaps." The red-eyed girl replied, and left it at that.

"Your name was…." Haruka half-asked. There was something strange about the girl's name, but she couldn't be sure what it was exactly.

"Ayanami Rei." The girl replied in her silky quiet voice. Haruka noted that there wasn't a single breath wasted, nor a single intonation drawn out beyond pure necessity.

"Oh, right. It's a fitting name for one of the seven." Haruka nodded. "Well, make yourself at home." Haruka said, gesturing down the hall. "You can pretty much take any one of the empty rooms here. I'll introduce you to the others at dinner, is that ok?"

"That will not be necessary. I shall personally introduce myself to them when a convenient time arises." Rei replied, before picking up her small suitcase. "Thank you, Urashima-san, for your help." She bowed politely, before making her way down the corridor.

"What an odd girl…." Haruka commented. Meanwhile, down on the courtyard, Motoko had raised her sword to Keitaro's neck, threatening him to divulge his intentions on pain of death. Haruka could only sigh as she looked down at Keitaro. "That boy's going to need all the help he can get….He needs you, Tsuruko…"

* * *

That night……

"He's promising, surely…" A silhouette atop the Hinata Sou rooftops said, her long hair flowing with the wind. The silhouette seemed to be carrying something that looked like a long stick. Her voice (it was definitely a girl's voice) carried slight tones of sorrow, though overall it seemed to belong to the cheerful type. "It's a good thing that he's moved to Hinata Sou…I was afraid his parents would recognize me if I made contact with him at his home…like this, I'd have a lot more freedom, ne?"

The other robed silhouette atop the rooftop nodded stiffly in agreement.

"What about Tsu-chan though?" The girl asked. A passing breeze caught the bells attached to the long stick-like object in her hand, causing them to give off a cheerful tingle that melded into a sorrowful melody with the wind. "I think She'll be leaving for Tokyo next week, as long as nothing unpleasant happens. I was hoping she'd leave sooner…Kyoto is becoming unsafe. I can only hope that the marriage would take place soon. What do you think, Rei-chan?"

The other silhouette, apparently named Rei, looked down.

"I see. Ok then, I'll leave Hinata Sou and Kei-kun to you. I'll go and check up on Tsu-chan." The girl said. The two silhouettes looked down at the scene unfolding in the building below. It seemed Keitaro's identity as an exam retaker had just been revealed. "Sigh…Kei-kun…he's never been able to defend himself, has he? Ok then, to Kyoto!" She shouted cheerfully as she leaped off over the Hinata Sou's rooftops northwards.

"God speed." Rei whispered after her, before turning around and leaping off the roof. Below, Keitaro was getting pummeled for the umpteenth time since he arrived…again for something completely beyond his control.

* * *

Meanwhile, at the same time, far east in Kyoto, the plot thickens…

"What shall we do, Otosan? At this rate, the patriarchy of the Shinmei-ryu may slip through the grasps of our family for yet another generation." Hayato Hiyoshi mused. The glow of the candle lamps gave his face an eerie glow as he stood on one side of the traditional Japanese room.

"Do not worry, my prodigious son…I'll think of something. Our first concern would be the current heir to the Shinmei-ryu, Aoyama Tsuruko." The head of the Hiyoshi family, Hiyoshi Tennouji, said, sitting at the room's place of honour.

"Shall we arrange an unfortunate accident for her?" A tall, dark man in a hakama and gi asked, leaning back on a support column. Something about him suggested trouble. Something else about him suggested skunk. To Hiyoshi Tennouji, however, Orochimaru was a man who got things done. Tennouji didn't really care how, and in fact, he didn't want to know. Even to the man's employer, asking Orochimaru too many questions seemed like a publicized death wish.

"No, not her. Aoyama Tsuruko is mine." Hayato said, looking over at Orochimaru. "We shall have to resort to another strategy…we'll have to remove the heir to the Urashima-ryu."

"Hmmm…very well. As for the last two families, I'm sure they'll succumb to our will just as easily as the other families. Acquiring they're signatures of approval will be quite easy. Gentlemen…as you can see, the future certainly looks bright for the Hiyoshi family." Tennouji said, his leer in place.

"Long live the Hiyoshi." Orochimaru said, though in a somewhat disinterested tone.

"I'll drink to that. Kanpai!" Tennouji laughed, raising his sake cup.

"Kanpai!" Hayato shouted. Orochimaru merely nodded in agreement. For a brief moment, the moon above was shrouded by a flurry of clouds. A new wind suddenly blew through the entire city, heralding the troubled times ahead.

* * *

The day after, shortly after Keitaro was made manager…

"So…that's what happened. And now I'm the m…manager of this place." Keitaro bowed nervously before the scowling tenants. It was a wonder he could get anything said under their intense glares. "Y…Yoroshiku-des."

"We won't allow it!" Mitsune and Motoko shouted as they bore down on him.

"What am I supposed to do about it?!" Keitaro shouted as he raised his hands to shield himself.

"Enough! These are Grandma Hina's orders." Haruka barked.

"H…huh? Grandma Hina's?" Everyone murmured.

"Well…I guess if it's Grandma Hina's orders, then there's no point in disputing it, is there?" Mitsune sighed. "Ok then…we understand. We accept you as the new manager."

"Th…Thank you." Keitaro bowed once again.

"Sigh…well, what can we do about it?" Mitsune muttered as she walked into the inn. The others followed suit, save Shinobu.

"Sh…Shinobu-chan?" Keitaro turned around to face the blue-eyed girl. She merely gave him a brief sorrowful stare before turning and running away.

'Oh man…she must really hate me…' Keitaro thought with a sigh. "Oh well…at the very least, I get to live here…"

* * *

But being the unfortunate man he is, Keitaro's thoughts turned out to be over optimistic. A few hours later in the evening saw Keitaro with his face against the table in Haruka's coffee shop, a small puddle of tears forming by his face, a forlorn figure beneath the dim light spread by the overhead paper lamps.

"I'm guessing they're giving you a hard time, aren't they?" Haruka asked. "What kind of chores did they get you to do?"

"Well…" Keitaro lifted his head into an upright position while still resting his chin on the table. "I'm guessing it's just your everyday manager's chores…I don't really mind about all that. It's my job anyway. But…"

"They're treating you coldly, aren't they?" Haruka asked, placing a cup of coffee in front of Keitaro. Keitaro just lifted his face off the table and nodded sedately as he leaned back on the chair.

"It wouldn't be half as bad if they would just try and accept me…" Keitaro sighed. "But I guess…after what happened tonight, there's no way they'd forgive me…especially Shinobu-chan." Keitaro said, as he thought back to the incident in the baths just over an hour ago when he had accidentally fallen in and seen what no man save Shinobu's father had ever seen.

"Shinobu-chan, huh?" Haruka sighed. "That girl…she's just lonely. She was brought here by Grandma Hina about two years ago. She's had trouble making friends, being such a shy introvert. I'm guessing she saw something in you Keitaro…a role model she could put faith in…it's something she's never had. What, with her parents on the verge of splitting up and everything." Haruka looked out at the night sky as she took a deep drag from her cigarette.

"Is that how it is?" Keitaro sighed. "Must be difficult, living all alone like that, away from family, at such a young age too….reminds me of someone…"

* * *

11 years ago…

A gentle breeze picked up a few sakura blossoms, raising them into a slow dance across the face of an old sweet shop. The chicadas lazily chirped the time away… there was a certain heavy sleepiness in the air…a music box gently churned out its sweet melody

The peacefullness was rent apart by the crash of wood on wood as two bamboo bokens made contact. Two figures were waltzing around one another, bokens dancing and slicing through the air in the early spring sun...

"Come on, Kei-kun! A little faster and you might be able to finally overtake my pet snail!" A cheerful voice shouted. Her small red hakama and white gi rustled in the spring breeze as she lunged forwards, executing a rapid succession of slashes and thrusts at her opponent, a black haired boy dressed in a similar fashion. The two small spherical-bell-shaped hair ornaments jingled cheerfully under the sunlight as her small twin ponytails bobbed up and down.

"Hehe…you can say that WHEN you've actually defeated me…for once, Keiko-chan." The boy grinned as he easily dodged all the attacks while looking for an opening. "Ah…gotcha!" He shouted as he aimed a slash at her legs.

The girl had anticipated the attack and had leaped up just in time to evade the attack. She raised her boken up behind her head as she prepared another slash attack. "Ready, Kei-kun?!"

"Anytime!" The boy shouted, raising his boken to counter. Their bokens met with a resounding crash. "That's it?" The boy sniggered.

"Not yet…Sakura no Mai!" the girl shouted as a shockwave blew outwards from her boken, forcing the boy backwards. The sakura petals in the area flew in a haphazard dance as the shockwave burst outwards. The girl turned into a blur as she lunged forwards and threw out a rapid flurry of attacks which didn't seem to connect. The boy, however, seemed to be thrown backwards further by an invisible force.

"Uwaaaaaaaaaaah!" The boy shouted as he closed his eyes. Suddenly, the raging winds around him ceased. "Huh?" He opened his eyes. KNOCK. "Ouch! Hey!"

"Teehee!" The girl giggled as she lightly thumped the boy on the head with the end of the boken. "I win, you…lose." She smiled up at his face.

"No fair, playing with ki. You know I can't use that technique yet." The boy pouted.

"Hehehehe…so little Kei-kun wants revenge now?" The girl asked, cocking her head to one side as she looked up into his face.

"Keiko-chan! I'll get you for this!" The boy shouted as he raised his boken.

"Hahahahaha! Catch me if you can!" The girl laughed and stuck out her tongue as she ran down the courtyard. The boy followed close behind, boken raised.

Together they ran through the spiraling sakura petals, laughing and shouting, chasing after one another, just 8 year old twins, free from all the worries of the world.

The girl screeched to a halt in the main courtyard as she noticed another presence. The boy slammed into her from behind and both fell over tumbling into the sakura petal covered garden.

"Hey…watcha stop for?" The boy asked. The girl merely nodded over at the solitary figure standing by the carp pond before promptly throwing her brother off. She got up, brushed herself off in an effort to make herself more presentable, and even readjusted the bells in her hair, before she set off towards the girl, dragging the boy along behind her.

"Konichiwa." The girl bowed as she greeted the new figure who happened to be wearing a similar hakama and gi, though her hakama happened to be dark blue. The stranger's long silky black hair flowed out behind her as she turned around to face the newcomer.

"Oro…Konichiwa." The stranger bowed back. The boy finally got up and looked at the stranger. A number of birds took flight at the exact moment of their eyes meeting.

"A…Ko…konichiwa…" The boy stammered.

"Urashima Keiko Desu. Yoroshiku! This here's Urashima Keitaro, or Kei-kun for short." The girl smiled as she patted the boy on the back.

The stranger smiled back…a mysterious, yet warm smile. "Sou desuka…Watashiwa Aoyama Tsuruko desu. Yoroshiku." She bowed slightly once again.

During the pleasant conversation by the carp pond, the twin Urashimas learned that Tsuruko's parents had brought her to Tokyo to meet someone 'special'. They talked about many things besides, such as Tsuruko's little sister who hadn't been allowed to come on the trip, the sakura blossoms, and many other things.

"Yes, she's about 4 years old now. She cried and cried, begging oka-sama and oto-sama to allow her to come." Tsuruko said, smiling as she thought about her younger sister.

"Just like you, ne, Kei-kun?" Keiko giggled, nudging Keitaro. "You can't stand a single second without me."

"Hey, the same goes for you!" Kei-kun retaliated.

Tsuruko couldn't help but smile as she watched the twins tease one another. Her heart suddenly yearned for her little sister, waiting for her at home. But she was here on duty and she understood full well what it meant.

"So…you're a kendoka?" Keiko asked as she swirled her boken about in the pond. They all watched as the carp followed the boken's end around obediently.

"Yes, though I'm still in training." Tsuruko smiled a modest smile.

"We're kendokas too." Kei-kun perked up at the mentioning of kendo. "I've been practicing kendo for as long as I can remember!" He said proudly.

"And yet he still hasn't gotten the basic idea of winning." Keiko sighed, shaking her head in a would-be frustrated gesture.

"Challenge!" Kei-kun shouted, raising his boken.

"Strike!" Keiko shouted, landing yet another strike on Kei-kun's head.

"The problem with him is he's such a pushover. He always lets other people win." Keiko giggled as she whispered in Tsuruko's ear. Meanwhile, behind them, Kei-kun was sitting on the other side of the carp pond, sulking. Tsuruko couldn't help but giggle slightly as she regarded Kei-kun's attempt at looking sulky.

"Looks like they've already gotten to know each other." A tall dark haired man said with a satisfied smile.

"Your children are certainly lively, Mizuki." A young woman smiled as she watched the twins pull Tsuruko into a game of tag.

"Tsuruko surely has grown up into beautiful young lady, Sakura. Just like her mother." Another young woman, Keitaro and Keiko's mother, Urashima Mizuki, said as she addressed Tsuruko's mother, Aoyama Sakura.

"I must say though…Keiko-chan looks exactly like you when you were that age…and don't even get me started on the personality, Mizuki" A bespectacled black haired man smiled, as he regarded the children. "And as for Keitaro…well, he's a real son of the Urashima clan. I hear he's never won a single kendo match against Keiko…now who does that remind you of, Heiji?" He smiled as he patted Keitaro and Keiko's father, Heiji, on the shoulder. The women giggled as Heiji blushed with embarrassment.

"Yes, he's always had a weak spot for women, my husband." Mizuki laughed. "Remember how you've never won a single match against me?"

"Challenge?" Heiji asked.

"You'd lose anyway." Mizuki laughed. The other two laughed along. The air of good humour lasted for quite a while as they watched the children play together out in the courtyard.

"So…are you serious about leaving Tsuruko here?" Heiji finally asked, moving on to more serious matters.

The Aoyama couple looked at one another before nodding in unison. "Yes, I believe it's for the best. A year or two wouldn't hurt. It's best if we give Keitaro and Tsuruko the chance to get to know one another first." The other man said. "It's only fair."

"Have you told Tsuruko about this yet, Sakura, Yusuke?" Mizuki asked Tsuruko's father, Yusuke, while watching Tsuruko as she was tagged on the back by Keitaro.

"Not yet…we'll wait until she gets settled here. Then we'll tell her." Sakura said. "Tsuruko's always been the understanding type."

"When will the engagement take place?" Heiji asked.

"Two years to the day…a most auspicious day." Yusuke said, smiling. "You see, I do take these things into consideration."

"Hah, you've always been one for superstitions." Heiji laughed, slapping Yusuke on the back.

The four parents once again fell into silence as they watched the three children start off a new game.

"…I can't help feeling…it's a bit cruel…" Mizuki said quietly.

"Yes…it is…" Yusuke sighed.

"But it's for the good of the schools." Sakura said. "As cruel as it may seem, it must be done."

"It's duty. It's always been duty." Heiji said.

"Just how far would the children understand duty?" Mizuki asked, sighing. Meanwhile, Keitaro had again lost a game of hide and seek and had resorted to challenging Keiko to come out, his boken up in the air once again.

* * *

"Hey, Keitaro! Quit day dreaming. I'm guessing you want to start patching things up, right?" Haruka asked, getting up and picking up a pile of files from behind a counter. "Here. Every manager should have this." She handed Keitaro the files.

"Resident info?" Keitaro flicked through the files. "Wow…thanks Haruka-san. Can I keep this?"

"Sure." Haruka said.

"Right…time to start some real maintenance." Keitaro balled his hands into fists as if to grasp his raw determination.

"Yeah, whatever. Just be sure to pay for the coffee." Haruka said, opening up her newspaper to the business section.

"Huh?" Keitaro asked dumbly.

"I didn't say you can drink for free, did I? And the info's going to cost you too." Haruka said firmly, stubbing out her cigarette, a sure signal that the discussion was over.

"What are you? The Mafia?" Keitaro asked, half to himself. But off course, he knew better than to argue.

* * *

A few minutes later…

"Hmmm…Let's see if this old book Haitani gave me could lend me a hand…" Keitaro mumbled as he flicked through a book that bore a highly suspicious title 'Flirt's Guide a Woman's Heart'. He was leafing through the introduction as he walked down the corridor when he collided with a walking mountain of laundry. A whole truckload of assorted clothes flew up into the air in a cascade of colours. 'Shinobu-chan?' Keitaro thought as the clothes flew upwards, revealing the petite figure behind it.

"Sorry! I wasn't looking! I…I'll pick it up!" Keitaro cried out as he scrambled about trying to pick up the clothes off the floor.

"N…no thanks!" Shinobu cried out as she too haphazardly tried to pile all the laundry back in the basket. Her already thumping heart suddenly leapt into her throat as Keitaro reached for the same piece of clothing as she did, causing him to accidentally touch her hand.

"Ah…Sh…Shinobu-chan…" Keitaro gasped, retracting his hand. Shinobu merely scooped everything up quickly, threw everything in the basket, and ran.

'Oh man…she must really hate me now…after everything that's happened…' Keitaro thought. "Huh, what's this?" He noticed what seemed like a rolled up piece of cloth on the floor. He bent down and carefully picked it up. "It's….not what I think it is…is it? Yes…it is…" To his utter horror it was triangular, and happened to have a large teddy bear motif on one side and the words 'Maehara Shinobu' sewn on the other.

"What to do…?" Keitaro thought, trying to keep a coherent stream of thought running through his confused brain. Needless to say, wrestling with the unholy thoughts was taking up most of his CPU processing power. "I wonder if the book has something about dealing with these kinds of problems." He was about to bend down and pick up the book when foot stepped right beside it. He cautiously traced the foot up towards the face of the person to whom it belonged.

"What were you babbling about 'what to do', Urashima?" Motoko asked, her usual inquisitorial glare in place. Suu was, as always, hanging onto Motoko, looking mildly interested with the proceedings.

"No…" Keitaro said, trying to look innocent. "Nothing at all. Just wondering about things, that's all."

"Then why was Shinobu crying when she was running by?" Motoko leaned in, her glare intensifying a hundred fold. Keitaro couldn't help but blink. It was like staring into a pair of xenon lamps.

"Crying?" Keitaro asked, slightly shocked at this little bit of news.

"You had something to do with it, didn't you?" Motoko raised her katana to his neck.

"I swear I'm innocent!" Keitaro cried out. 'H…Hinata...' his mind sub-consciously went straight to the dark object hidden away deep in his room. 'N…NO! NOT THAT! FOCUS KEITARO! FOCUS!' He thought to himself, gritting his teeth. Whatever happened, he mustn't lose focus.

"Oh, excuse me…I seem to have lost my way." A light-blue haired girl said, her quiet voice just bordering on audible. Motoko and Keitaro couldn't help but look at one another after noticing the girl. Suu, meanwhile, was trying to decide whether or not this new girl was a potential playmate.

"Excuse me, but, who are you?" Motoko asked, rather bluntly, lowering her blade from Keitaro's neck as all her attention started to get drawn irresistibly towards the girl. Despite the girl's simple outward appearance, there was something about her that demanded every little drop of attention. It was a like trying to look at a black hole. You don't know what you're looking for but you stare at it anyway. Keitaro sighed a breath of relief as he slowly edged away from Motoko's blade, afraid that those dark thoughts might resurface of their own accord.

"Oh, excuse my manners. My name is Ayanami Rei." The girl said, and left it at that.

"A…a new tenant?" Motoko asked.

"Oh…." Rei suddenly stooped down towards the book on the floor. "May I borrow this, Urashima-sama? I doubt you'll be needing it." She looked up at Keitaro, giving him one of the strangest gazes he's ever seen. It wasn't an inquisitive one so she obviously wasn't expecting an answer. It was more like…an appraising look, mixed in with resignation at what she saw.

Keitaro couldn't help but slowly back away, both from the stare and from Motoko as well. It was a good chance to slip away unnoticed by Motoko anyway, as Rei seemed to have gained her full attention.

"Can you please direct me towards the bathroom?" Rei asked Motoko, drawing Motoko's attention away from Keitaro completely. Keitaro knew better than to miss the chance. He quickly slipped around a bend and hightailed it down the corridor.

Shinobu gasped for breath as she finally reached her room after what seemed like an eternity's run from hell. She blew out a breath of relief as she slid down to the floor against the door. She looked down at her shaking hand…before clenching it tightly. "I…I'm sorry, Grandma Hina…If this continues…I might have to break my promise…" She closed her eyes as tears ran down her cheeks. "But…I can't live like this…I can't live without knowing for sure…" She sighed and got up. She looked out the window at the sea of lights that was Hinata city. "How foolish of me…"

* * *

"Urashima Keitaro…" Rei murmured, setting down the book on her bare low table. She looked down at the title again and shook her head, giving out a little sigh. So this was what she had to work with? A guy who takes dating advice from a book?

She dismissed that train of thought immediately and decided on giving her new room a quick inspection to take her mind off things. Her room was still devoid of any furnishings, besides the low table in the middle of the room. The only other object occupying any space whatsoever was her small suitcase which she had left by the door. The room left no impressions on her whatsoever, despite its warm and cozy atmosphere.

She made her way to the sliding door leading to the balcony and gently slid it open, revealing the shimmering sea of lights outside. She took in a deep breath, seemingly savouring the midnight air as she closed her eyes.

A creak on one of the tatami mats behind her immediately put her on alert as she swept around and put on a low stance, ready to take on the intruder.

"Whoah…calm down." The young, narrow-eyed bombshell of a woman said, smiling her usual foxy grin. "I come in peace."

Rei, realizing the woman didn't seem to pose any threats, let down her stance, and yet remained cautious. She quickly came back into the room and slid the door to the balcony silently behind her, all the while keeping her eyes on the woman.

"I noticed the lights were on and I thought, hmm, this room's supposed to be empty. So I fancied a quick peek. I didn't realize we have a new tenant." Mitsune smiled her usual friendly smile. "Well, I'm Mitsune. Konno Mitsune. I'm your neighbour, just one floor down." She said, walking up to the low table. "Oh….what do we have here?" She asked, noticing the book.

"Ah….that…" Rei murmured, taking a step forwards, reaching out for the book. Too late…

"…. 'Flirt's Guide to a Woman's Heart', eh?" Mitsune asked, grinning as she held up the book. "Wow….so you swing that way, huh?"

"That….ah…no…." Rei said, slightly uneasy.

"Nah, I'm not the discriminating kind. It takes all sorts to build a word after all, ne?" Mitsune said jovially. "I'll even keep it a secret if you like."

"No….you misunderstand…." Rei tried to explain, in her usual barely audible voice.

"It's amazing that such a shy character such as yourself would have THAT kind of an interest, though." Mitsune said, thoughtfully. "Well, that aside, I'll be around if you need anything, so just give me a holler, ok? I'm just downstairs. Maybe we could go out for a drink sometime, yes?" She asked, smiling.

"Ah…" Rei really had no experience dealing with such people. She didn't even have a chance to explain anything.

"It's a date then. See ya!" Mitsune said, throwing a casual salute, before disappearing out the door, leaving Rei standing stock-still in the room. She had only arrived a few hours ago and now this….

That girl didn't seem to be the type to keep secrets either…

Now how was she supposed to keep a low profile?

Heck, how was she supposed to meet the other tenants tomorrow?

She shook her head, dismissed the matter in her usual way, before making her way to her suitcase. She unpacked a cracked pair of glasses from a small box and placed it atop a dresser. Once she was satisfied with its meticulous positioning, she gave a little yawn, changed, and went to bed.

Not even the screams of anger, cries of hatred, and other battlefield sound effects coming across from the room next door bothered her that night.

* * *

The day after…

The sun shone brightly in the deep blue sky above Shinobu as she went through the usual daily routine of doing the tenants' laundry. As she was raising up one of the laundry poles, a helping hand suddenly got in her way.

"A…anou…" She looked up at the face behind her.

"Leave it to me, Shinobu-chan." Keitaro beamed at her, taking hold of the pole.

"Anou…p…please…just leave it to…" Shinobu stammered, trying to take the pole back.

After a brief struggle, The pole ended up on the floor, along with all the laundry.  
"Aaaaaaaaaakh…Sorry!" Keitaro screamed.

* * *

Later on…in the Hot Spring Streets…

"Shinobu-chan!" A voice shouted out behind her as she walked towards Hinata-Sou, two large grocery bags in both arms. "Let me help you with that." The voice said as someone wrestled the grocery bags out of her hands.

"Anou…please…just…" She tried to resist. Before long, all the groceries were strewn across the pavement.

"I…I'm sorry…" Keitaro stammered, frantically trying to salvage the groceries. 'Oh man…I keep on messing up…she must think I'm doing this on purpose…' Keitaro thought. "Err…Shinobu-chan…" Keitaro looked up at her, searching quickly for something to say. "Err….you know…I just wanted to say…I really admire you, you know. The way you seem so independent…and how you seem to strive so hard in doing everything…." Keitaro said, scratching his head uneasily.

"You're a liar…" Shinobu said quietly, standing up with her back to him, the groceries left forgotten on the pavement.

"Sh…Shinobu-chan?" Keitaro looked up at her in surprise.

"Didn't you say that 'nothing is impossible'? That 'if you set your heart to it, you can do anything?'?" Shinobu asked, her back still towards him. "You…you're just a big liar…"

"Sh…Shinobu…About Tokyo-U…" Keitaro stammered.

"I don't care about Tokyo-U, you Idiot!" Shinobu screamed. "I can't care less about those entrance exams or whatever!"

"Sh…Shinobu-chan?" Keitaro was suddenly confused.

Shinobu turned around and threw a katana in Keitaro's direction. It fell with a resounding clatter at Keitaro's feet. Even this much seemed like so much violence on the little girl's part.

"Sh…Sh…Shinobu-chan?" Keitaro looked down at the katana and back up at Shinobu. "What…?" This just can't be. Something like this coming from quiet little Shinobu-chan?

"How come….how come…" tears streamed down Shinobu's cheeks. She was shuddering violently as the surges of pent up emotions rushed through her. "Y…you're the heir…the heir…but…sob…but how can you…you lose…how can you let yourself…be beaten up…" She blinked away her tears and scowled up at him as she pulled out her own katana.

"Shinobu-chan? Why?" Keitaro asked, still shocked at Shinobu's sudden burst of emotions.

"I placed my faith in you…I believed in the Urashima-ryu…" Shinobu unsheathed her katana and let the sheath fall with a clatter onto the pavement. "But…but…you turned out to be so weak…please…please tell me…please tell me you were only holding back…please tell me that you really are the strongest of the Urashima-ryu!" Shinobu shouted.

"I…I must apologize…Shinobu-chan…But yes, you're right. I am weak…weak in spirit, therefore weak in body." Keitaro closed his eyes.

"It…It can't be…" Shinobu-chan choked. "Then…then…" She gulped as she raised her katana into a fighting stance. "I challenge you, Urashima Keitaro, to a duel!"

* * *

To be continued... 


	3. Chapter 3

Again thank you to David Alan Abramszcyk for the proofread.

And another round of thanks to all the friendly people at the FTT.

I'm still a beginner and there's still much for me to learn and therefore your opinions, suggestions, flames, etc are very very valuable. Thank you.

Disclaimer: I don't own Love Hina or anything else here that might belong to someone else.

Forevermore

Chapter 3

Original Concept by Beyond The Bounds

Rewritten by Zenithos

* * *

"Shinobu-chan…please…I can't…" Keitaro said quietly. He could see that Shinobu was exerting every ounce of willpower she had just to grip the sword and aim it at him. He sighed.

"LIAR!" Shinobu screamed as she lunged forwards, katana raised. "URASHIMA-RYU! HIKEN! SAKURA NO MAI!" She executed a succession of slashes that sent waves of raging ki straight at Keitaro…who strangely, didn't move at all.

Everything went dark as the forces pounded into him, sending him flying backwards into a pile of dustbins.

"Why…?" He heard her sob. "Why?"

'Why though…?' a voice asked in his mind. 'Wasn't this why she decided to give her life to protect you? Because you were too fearful of hurting others? Because you were afraid to show that you had the strength to protect them?'

* * *

Flash… 

"Seriously, oka-sama…Kei-kun couldn't take care of himself…he's so helpless…"

"If you're referring to duels, he never wins any not because he's weak, Keiko-chan, but because he's your brother…"

"But…I promise…I'll be the one to protect Kei-kun…always…"

"Hehe…that's my little daughter…but give your brother a chance once in a while, ok?"

* * *

Flash… 

6 years ago…1992…

"Kei…kun…are you alright?" She asked, her ragged breathing letting out erratic puffs of pale white vapour into the frosty air. Each breath seemed to hurt her more than anything, but she seemed determined to get her message across. A few snowflakes dotted her silky black hair.

"…what…what are you talking about? You should be worrying about yourself…" Keitaro sobbed as he held his dear sister in his arms. His gi was slowly turning red as her blood slowly seeped into the cotton fibres. The white snow around them was slowly turning a bright shade of crimson as her blood slowly leaked towards death. Beside her, two other girls sat. The smaller of the two was sobbing and moaning incoherent apologies. The other was desperately trying to control her tears as she checked the wounded girl's injuries. A few meters away lay a jet black blade, its surface shimmering pure black in the snow.

"That's great…I'm relieved…you're alright…" she gave a little gasp as she finished her sentence. She raised one quivering hand to his face. Keitaro immediately grasped it and held it close. "An…anou…cough…what about…what about Kanako-chan? And Tsu-chan?"

"They're…They're fine…they're right here with me…she's fine. Please…just be quiet for a moment…I'll…I'll call for help…" Keitaro said, looking about wildly. "Hey! Can anyone help me?!"

"I'll go call for help…Keiko-chan…hold on, ok?" Tsuruko said, squeezing Keiko's arm. "Please, hold on for just a little longer." She added, wiping away her tears before getting onto her feet and dashing into the mist.

The younger one touched the wounded girl on the shoulder, who raised one weak arm to hold it. "O…Onee-chan…" She sobbed. "Please….please don't die. Please. Kanako-chan promises to be good….Kanako-chan promises she won't be naughty anymore….so please, don't die….just don't….don't leave Kanako-chan alone…"

"Kanako-chan…." Keiko whispered. "Wh…when I'm gone…it will be your task to p…protect Onii-chan…ok? Please…please promise me…."

"But Onee-chan!" Kanako shouted, her warm tears stinging her frozen face. "Y…You're going to be all right! You're n…not going to die!"

"Pr…Promise me…" Keiko whispered, her breathing growing more and more ragged by the second.

"I…I promise. I…I'm going to look for help too…" Kanako wiped her tears and put on a determined scowl. "I'll come back with help soon! Please don't die, Onee-chan!" Kanako shouted, before disappearing into the thick mist, leaving the twins alone.

"K…Kei-kun…I…I'm sorry…" She whispered. A cold wind blew. A few snow flakes settled over the black blade.

"You…you have…nothing to apologize for…rest now…" He shot a quick glance at the black blade, its surface gleaming black in contrast to the pristine white snow around it.

"But…the…the curse…" She choked. "The darkness…the…Hina Blade…"

"It's ok…everything will be ok…" He tried to sound more confident than he felt. "Tsu-chan and Kanako-chan will come back with help…just hold on for me, ok?" More tears ran down his cheeks.

"It's…it's no use…Kei-kun…it's…it's really cold, ne?" She smiled. "You…you can take…m…my scarf…if you like…" She coughed up some blood.

"B…Baka! I told you to stop talking!" Keitaro shouted.

"Seriously, Kei-kun…your tears…they're all over…the place…" She smiled as she wiped the tears off his face. "You're…so helpless…without me…aren't you?" She sighed. "Don't…cry…ok…Kei-kun…?" Her hand fell limp to her chest as she gave out one last peaceful breath.

"Kei…Keiko?" Keitaro asked, his heart skipping beats. He gently shook his sister. "Kei…Ko…please…please…talk to me…" He shook her again, a little harder this time. "Keiko? Keiko? No…No…please…don't…don't…" He shook her yet again. "Please…no…" He gasped, clutching her close to him. "No…no…" His tears flooded his face as he looked into his sister's peaceful face.

"NO!" He screamed up into the pale grey sky.

* * *

'She…died…she died because she tried to protect me…she protected me because I couldn't protect myself…no…because I was…so weak…I thought…I thought I was…no…there was no excuse for it…I was weak…I couldn't show them that I could protect myself…I was too weak…' The voice said in his head. 'But now…I…I have to show them…I have to show them I'm not weak…I have to show them…that I could protect them…"'

* * *

He slowly opened his eyes, letting the cold hard light of daylight flood into his brain. Before him stood a shuddering Shinobu, her face showing signs of sorrow, shock, and utter disappointment. He pulled himself up, checked his limbs, then walked forwards. 

"I…I'll kill you…I mean it…" Shinobu sobbed, trying to hold her katana steady.

Keitaro picked up the katana Shinobu had thrown to him and held it in one hand.

"Urashima-ryu! Ougi! Ryuryuga!" She screamed as she charged, raising her katana behind her. Wisps of bluish white air gathered around her blade as it sliced through the air.

Keitaro raised the katana in his hand towards her. What happened next could only be described in terms of flashes.

* * *

A few minutes later…in Haruka's teahouse 

"You could have taken it easier on her, you know…" Haruka sighed as she placed a wet towel on Shinobu's forehead. "There was no need to knock her out cold in a sparring match…" She got up and walked over to the low table where Keitaro sat, seemingly deep in thought. "You've probably got plenty of questions…"

"Yes. Why…" Keitaro started.

"Why does Shinobu know the arts of the Urashima-ryu, am I correct?" Haruka asked, pouring hot water into her tea pot.

Keitaro, slightly disoriented at having been left hanging mid-sentence, just nodded.

"To cut a long story short, Shinobu's always been sickly and fragile…well, more so back then than now. The domestic situation of her family didn't help anything either." Haruka paused to pour out some tea into two cups. "Grandma Hina, on one of her annual visits to her family, finally decided to take Shinobu with her to Hinata Sou. She thought the fresh air and change of scenery would do her good." Haruka paused again to take a sip of tea. "Grandma Hina decided to start training her in the arts of the Urashima-ryu, just to get her some exercise. It turned out…she's a born natural at the arts."

"Born natural?" Keitaro looked over at Shinobu's sleeping form underneath Haruka's futon, slightly disbelieving what he just heard. How can small, gentle Shinobu be a natural at martial arts?

"Yes…she's extremely talented. Grandma Hina speculated that a few years of intensive training would turn her into a first class samurai, if not better." Haruka nodded, though her expression was rather grave. "Then Grandma Hina left on her trip. She offered to take Shinobu with her but Shinobu declined the offer."

"Then….why on earth did she want to kill me?" Keitaro asked.

"It was probably a test." Haruka said.

"A test?"

"Yes, a test. I'll refrain from saying anymore as all I have are mere speculations." She put down her empty tea cup, signalling that any further inquiries into the matter were prohibited. She got up and opened the door before gesturing at Keitaro to follow her outside.

In the corridor outside she looked Keitaro in the eye and said in a low voice, "….your mom and dad have been urging me to talk to you about your engagement again. Although it's none of my business and I don't really care, I guess I have to oblige. So…"

Keitaro opened his mouth to say something, but the look on Haruka's face told him that one wrong move and heads will roll.

"What's wrong with her? Is she that undesirable?" Haruka asked bluntly.

"O…oba-san!" Keitaro cried out before he could stop himself. Bad move.

"So…what exactly is the problem, Keitaro?" Haruka asked, gently straightening out her paper fan.

"…nothing…nothing at all!" Keitaro said, wincing as he tried to nurse the throbbing bump on his head. "She…she's the most beautiful girl to ever grace my life…"

* * *

At the same time, a few hundred kilometres north of Tokyo, within the hustle and bustle of the Kyoto central train station… 

A stunningly beautiful figure gracefully glided through the buzzing lobby. Everyone gave her a wide berth, not only because they saw that she was one of those famous beautiful Kyoto maidens, complete with hakama, gi, straw hat, and long, sharp-looking katana, but also because of the wide trench left behind by the swooning men smitten to death by the positron cannon armed cupids orbiting the said woman's head.

"Oro…which train is it?" She wondered out loud, looking around.

* * *

Back in Tokyo… 

"She's never lost in life…she's always known where she was and where she had to go. There's this…determination within her to keep on going. Whenever I was lost…she was always there to point the way out for me…" Keitaro reminisced.

Haruka, meanwhile, had lit up another cigarette and was quietly blowing smoke rings at a nearby cockroach. No doubt, her nephew's flashbacks were amusing her.

* * *

Back in Kyoto… 

"Oro…I seem to have lost my way…" Tsuruko sighed, looking about for something that could point her in the right direction. "Which way do you think I should go, Kazeru?" She asked the large graceful bird perched on her shoulder.

"Kruuu…" The bird cooed. In fact, it wasn't even paying attention to what she was saying. Its attention was directed more towards the horde of men charging towards Tsuruko. Some carried station directory pamphlets. Some carried Kyoto maps. Some were even carrying world maps. One particular hopeful was rolling an entire globe down the station lobby.

Suddenly, right before Tsuruko turned around, what seemed like katana wielding whirlwind slashed through the horde of men, sending them all whirling off through the station's ceiling. "Oro…isn't there anyone I could ask for directions?" Tsuruko wondered, looking around.

"Your train's on platform 4. It leaves in 10 more minutes. I'd hurry if I were you." A voice said behind her.

"Oro, Arigatou…oro?" She whirled around, only to find no one there.

"Sigh….really…Tsu-chan could be so clueless sometimes…" A girl in a long white dress and blue vest sighed and wiped some sweat off her brow as she leaned against a pillar a distance away from Tsuroko. The spherical-bell shaped ornaments tying her hair into twin ponytails tingled gently as she turned around to leave. A long white katana was holstered on her back. "And with all those men running after her…Kei-kun could really end up losing…some of them were ACTUALLY handsome…" she sighed again.

* * *

"She's never fallen down in life…she always has this way of rising above anything life can throw at her." Keitaro's eyes seemed unfocused as he stared off into a distant memory. "Always so graceful…so refined in her ways…elegant, charming. Always light on her feet, quick to help anyone…"

* * *

"How convenient…" Tsuruko said to herself as she followed the signs hanging from the station ceiling towards platform 4. "I shouldn't have any problems…oro?" She explicated in her usual subtle way as she suddenly treaded air.

* * *

"There's something about her smile that always reassured and calmed me. She always smiles…" Keitaro reminisced out loud, before his expression turned into one of fear. "Come to think of it…she always smiles even when she's angry…"

* * *

"Oro?" Tsuruko looked around as she dusted herself off. She had fallen off a platform and onto the tracks. 

"Kruuu…" Kazeru landed on her shoulder and pecked her gently on the head.

"What is it, Kazeru?" Tsuruko asked, petting the graceful bird.

"WATCH OUT! THE TRAIN'S COMING!" A voice shouted out. Tsuruko turned around to come face to face with a monster, its two blinding eyes flashing brightly, its fangs spitting sparks of fire.

* * *

"She always dealt with matters in a calm, gentle and tender manner. There was no situation she couldn't handle quickly and efficiently. She has this way of coping…I couldn't quite explain it." Keitaro rambled on, lost in his memories. Haruka gave the occasional nod while thinking of ways of taking care of the cockroach. Some of them involved rocket launchers and flamethrowers. But, as untolerated as they were in her tea shop, she decided some moderation was necessary. A sledgehammer didn't sound too bad.

* * *

"The big city sure is dangerous. Trains suddenly coming out to kill you…" Tsuruko said to herself, smiling her usual carefree smile as she proceeded further down the station. 

"Oh Kami-sama…some subtlety wouldn't hurt sometimes, Tsu-chan…" the girl dressed in blue sighed some distance away, tears running down her face as she regarded the group of people gathering around the wreckage of the totaled train. "Rei-chan sure has it easy in Tokyo…" She turned around, shaking her head as she melded into the crowd.

* * *

"I don't know…if it weren't for her, I'd probably have given up everything when Keiko passed away." Keitaro closed his eyes. "She's…my guide in life. I don't know what I'd without her."

* * *

"That's a relief…" The girl in blue breathed a sigh of relief as the train doors slid shut behind her with a hiss. "Finally…we're on our way to Tokyo…" She eyed Tsuruko who was a distance away down the carriage. "Now…getting her to Hinata-Sou shouldn't be too difficult…" 

"Your attention please. This train will shortly be departing for Hokkaido. All passengers are kindly requested to take their seats. I repeat…" A soft female voice said through the PA.

"Wh…what?" The girl in blue looked around, shaking vigorously with disbelief. "You…you have to be kidding me…" She ran to the window and looked out, only to see the train bound to Tokyo on the other side of the platform, just a mere 10 meters away. So close…yet so far…

"…departing for Hokkaido. All passengers…" The PA repeated, as if to nail home the dread of reality into her.

"KAMI-SAMA!" She wailed as a bucketfuls of tears streamed out of her eyes.

"Oro? Everyone's brought ski gear…I didn't know you could ski in Tokyo." Tsuruko wondered, looking around, a look of pure fascination and curiosity on her face.

"Kruuu…" Kazeru settled down on Tsuroko's shoulder and sighed, shaking her head at the girl in blue down the corridor who was wailing and bumping her head on the floor.

This was going to be a long trip…

* * *

"Ok...amidst your bubbly daydreams, you failed to mention why exactly you don't want to go through with the marriage." Haruka finally decided to snap Keitaro out of his reminiscence. The cockroach, glad to have escaped the barrage of nukes and grenades Haruka had launched at it, had decided to celebrate by running out into the garden where it was promptly set upon by a hungry bird. The bird later mutated due to the mutations within the cockroach caused by the radiation from the nuke attacks. But that's a different story altogether. 

"I…I'm not worthy of her." Keitaro sighed. "And anyway…I could never be certain with Tsuruko. I don't know whether she's going through with this engagement only because it's her duty to do so or because she genuinely wishes to be with me. I mean…she's just too selfless. What if I end up ruining her entire life?"

"Nevertheless, Keitaro…" Haruka began. "It is your duty to marry her. It's what the Urashima-ryu commands of you." She said, with a deadly tone.

Keitaro closed his eyes and sighed.

"Which is why I'll tell you this. To hell with the Urashima-ryu. Do what you believe your heart tells you. You love her, don't you? Tell her that. Elope with her or something." Haruka said, turning around. "Don't let things like duty weigh down your life."

Keitaro couldn't believe his ears. Could this be right? One of the prides of the Urashima-ryu was actually telling him to forget the Urashima-ryu. He couldn't help but voice his overwhelmed emotions. "OBA-SAN!"

A moment later saw Keitaro with his face smashed through the floorboards.

"Never…call…me…oba-san…" Haruka said with her usual bored tone while folding her fan up again.

* * *

"Disregard everything? But…could I do something like that?" Keitaro wondered aloud as he left the tea house. Suddenly, a loud scream followed by a thunderous crash drew his attention to the street at the foot of the stairs. "What was that?" 

Motoko stood in the middle of the street, Naru and Suu beside her. Before her was a pile of what could have been human beings…after going through a mincing machine. Against his better judgement, Keitaro approached and asked, out of concern, "What happened?"

Motoko's eyes flashed. So did the drawn katana in her hand. "ANOTHER ONE! ZAN GAN KEN!" Before Keitaro knew it, he was thrown up by the ki impact, spiraling up, before landing neatly in the heap on the street.

"Hey…you guys look familiar…." Keitaro moaned, realizing the heap of people beneath him recalled odd memories from some dark, forgotten past.

"Hell yeah, I'm your buddy, Haitani…" The body beneath him moaned, zombie-like.

"And your other buddy…Shirai…" The body at the very bottom squeaked.

"Men…such ridiculously vile and lowly creatures…" Motoko spat, sheathing her sword. "Your entire race is a disgrace…" She turned and swiftly ascended the stairs.

"God…what's the matter with that kendo witch?" Keitaro moaned as he staggered onto his feet.

"She has a name, you know. It's Aoyama Motoko." Naru said, lifting a know-it-all finger. "She's the daughter of this great school of sword arts called the Shinmei-ryu…their school has been in the exorcism business for centuries and they've actually destroyed the most vicious of demons to ever plague Japan…hey…are you listening?" He tapped Keitaro on the shoulder who seemed to have spaced out.

"Oh…sorry…yeah…err…it sounds like some manga I've seen before…" Keitaro laughed uneasily as he snapped back to reality. 'So…she IS Aoyama Motoko...I was hoping all along that it was just an uncanny resemblance…this is going to be tougher than I thought…' he sighed mentally.

"Hey…you're not one of those bishoujo manga otakus, are you?" Naru asked, frowning as she ascended the stairs.

"Er…no, off course not." Keitaro laughed. Lying had become part of his manager job description from the very first second he agreed to it.

"Good…cause they're just the worst." Naru said. Keitaro followed closely behind as he wondered on the course of action to take. Should he go up to Motoko and remind her that he's her sister's fiancé and hope that the fact would spare him further beatings…or should he just leave it be. He decided to just leave it be. Who knows what might happen? Better to let sleeping Gods lie.

Meanwhile, the bodies of Shirai and Haitani were left to the crows…

* * *

That afternoon… 

"Differentiating X squared plus two X minus three gives me two X plus two, which gives me the gradient of the curve at the point X which is equal to…AAAAAAGGHHHHH!" Keitaro scratched his head furiously in frustration. "Seriously, calculus and calculators are going to take over the world someday…they're slowly killing off the world's population…"

He was jolted to attention by a series of quiet raps on his door. He was surprised when the door opened to reveal a blob of dark blue hair. "Sh…Shinobu? A…Are you feeling better?"

"H…hai…yes, I'm fine, really…" Shinobu stammered, blushing bright red.

"Uhh…I…I'm really, really, utterly sorry for knocking you out….err…earlier." Keitaro stammered, at a loss at how to handle the situation.

"N…no, I have to apologize, Keitaro-sempai…no…Urashima-sama…" Shinobu bowed deeply. in, come in." Keitaro gestured for her to enter. She, however, remained at the door, in her bowed state.

"I…I must apologize…for testing you, Urashima-sama." Shinobu began. "I…I believed wholeheartedly in the Urashima-ryu…and Grandma Hina always said you were the pride of the Urashima-ryu. I…I always believed that…and I've always wanted to have the honour of meeting you firsthand." A few tear drops fell on the tatami mat under her. "B…but…when I finally met you…I…I thought…"

"No…you're right, Shinobu-chan." Keitaro looked down at the floor. "I am weak. I am…too weak to protect anyone."

"No…the fact that you protected Motoko-sempai and the others from your own strength…that's true strength. You are strong, Urashima-sama." She straightened up and held out a sheathed katana. The sheath was a pure white, just like the handle of the katana itself. She fell to her knees and bowed, holding up the katana with both hands. "Please, Urashima-sama, please accept me as your apprentice."

"Shinobu-chan…" Keitaro slowly turned to face her and kneeled in front of her. "Shinobu-chan…you know that's not possible. You're still under the tutelage of Grandma Hina. I myself am still in training. It's not possible."

"Please…" Shinobu pleaded.

"No…Gomenasai…but it's not possible." Keitaro said with a sigh as she lifted Shinobu up to her feet. "It's just not possible."

"I…I…I see…" Shinobu sniffed, before smiling sadly up at Keitaro. "I…I understand." A tear ran down her cheek.

"And…uhh…please don't call me Urashima-sama. I don't deserve such a title. Just call me Keitaro, or Keitaro-sempai, just as before. It feels more comfortable." Keitaro added, smiling.

"Ah…hai, Urashi…anou…Keitaro-sempai…" Shinobu nodded, trying her best to look cheerful again. "A…anou…dinner will be at 6, all right? Be sure to be there." She bowed slightly as she turned to leave the room.

"Thank you, Shinobu-chan. See you at Dinner." Keitaro smiled back.

But to their mutual horror, Shinobu slid the door back to reveal two glimmering eyes in the darkness outside the door that towered over Shinobu's petit form.

"URASHIMA! HOW DARE YOU MAKE SHINOBU-CHAN CRY?!" A demonic imperative voice boomed out. A glint of steel flashed in dhe darkness of the corridor.

Shinobu's pleas and explanations fell on deaf ears as Motoko advanced on Keitaro.

"Huh? What's happening, Motoko-chan?" Naru asked, coming down the corridor with Mitsune right beside her.

"I shall rid the world….of you lowlifes…once and for all…." Motoko hissed through gritted teeth as she raised her katana.

THROB…..

"H…Hina…." A voice in Keitaro's mind whispered. "NO! I can't! Focus Keitaro! Keep it steady!" Keitaro heard himself scream in his head as everything around him slowed down, almost to a standstill. He could even pick out the various objects reflected in Motoko's katana. "Hi…Hina…." The voice within him grew louder. "NOO!" Another voice screamed in mortal fear.

"Iyaaaaaaan!" Keitaro heard a voice scream as everything suddenly revved back up to normal speed. When he came back to reality, Motoko had disappeared. He noticed that everyone else was looking at something on the floor. He followed their gazes until his eyes fell on a tangle of arms and legs sprawled out on the tatami.

"Ah…I apologize most sincerely…" Rei said, in a voice hardly above a whisper as she scrabbled into a sitting position. Around her were three large boxes with their contents, clothes and other odds and ends, all strewn haphazardly across the floor. Underneath all that was Motoko, her eyes open wide in surprise.

Mitsune could help but giggle. "Oh….you found a target already?" She asked, stifling her laughter. "My…what refined tastes…"

"'Wait…have I seen you before?" Naru asked Rei.

Rei flinched. Not this….

"You do look familiar…" Shinobu supplied, frowning in concentration as she tried to dig up some obscure old memory.

"Yes….wait, I know….you're cos-playing that girl, aren't you?!" Naru cried.

"That's it!" Mitsune exclaimed, tapping her head. "I knew I saw that light blue hair and those red eyes somewhere…"

"I know!" Su shouted in triumph. "You're that girl from NGE!" Due to anime imperatives, a load of NGE posters, models, and screenshots from the anime tumbled down behind her before EVA 01 burst out of a NERV logo and roared.

"NO, DAMN IT! I HAD THAT NAME FIRST! MY HAIR AND EYES ARE COMPLETELY NATURAL! I'M NOT SOME LITTLE GIRL CLONED FROM SOME HEART-BROKEN, POWER-DRUNK NARCIST'S EXPERIMENT-KILLED WIFE! IT'S NOT MY FAULT THAT FRICKIN' ANIME HAD THAT FRIKIN' DOPPLEGANGER OF A…." Rei paused for breath.

Everyone stared at her, wide-eyed, before looking at one another in disbelief.

"…excuse me…" Rei said, again using her ethereal voice. "My name's Ayanami Rei, and…."

"SEE! Even the name's ….mphhhh!" Su started, but was quickly muffled by Mitsune's and Naru's intervening hands. A vein popped on Rei's temple, but she somehow maintained her composure.

"I'll be your neighbour from now on. I hope we get along." She bowed politely. She looked around and noted that Keitaro had made his escape. She closed her eyes in satisfaction before starting on picking up the contents of her wardrobe, which were mostly school uniforms for some reason.

"See! All she wears is her…MPHHH!" Su was forcefully dragged away by Motoko while Shinobu, Naru, and Mitsune immediately bent down to help Rei.

All of them were thinking the exact same thing. 'Calm waters hide strong currents'. And off course, the old favourite, 'Let Sleeping Gods Lie'

* * *

"What's the frickin' mission again?" a raven-haired young girl in a school sailor uniform and a thick black robe asked in a bored tone as she looked up the long flight of stairs up the hill. "Just looking at those stairs is enough to exhaust me…" She sighed. 

"We're getting paid for this, remember? Not to mention I might be able to meet Motoko-sempai again…" Said a bespectacled girl, dressed in a dress so frilly that it seemed as if she had come out of the wrong end of a grinder. "What can be more fun that having tea and cookies with Motoko-sempai?"

"Tsukuyomi…" The other girl sighed. "…You know what? I'm not even curious enough to ask. Let's get this over with. Which Flame Haze or Guze lord do we have to kill this time?"

"Nope, it's something more fun this time, Shana-chan." The girl named Tsukuyomi replied with a smile, leaping from foot to foot.

"What? Fun like the time we went out to exterminate mummies and almost got run over by that white van out in…" The girl named Shana started.

"No." Tsukuyomi shook her head.

"Or like the time we went up to Raccoon City and wiped out an entire zombie infestation?" Shana asked.

"Wait….we went to Raccoon City?" Tsukuyomi asked, suddenly frowning.

"Yes. Remember? You sat on that mine while we were holed up in that church?" Shana said, scratching her chin thoughtfully.

"Oh….and we got nuked out of the city afterwards…yeah, I remember…" Tsukuyomi nodded, before wincing. "That…that mine….never mind, this time it's not something like that."

"What? Is it fun like the time you dragged me down to that bar which just happened to be a…." Shana started.

"No, this time it's this really cute guy…the heir to the Shinmei-ryu." Tsukuyomi replied, skipping up the stairs.

"Oh, so it's just a normal human…WAIT A SECOND!" Shana shouted. "We're assassinating a human being?!"

"He's cute though." Tsukuyomi added, raising her glasses as she looked down at Shana. "C'mon, it'll be great fun! You can flame grill him while I toss a salad."

"Y…you're not here to visit anyone, are you?" A timid voice squeeked.

Shana and Tsukuyomi both looked up at the source of the voice who was quivering violently a few steps up the stairs.

"Who was it we're visiting, Tsukuyomi?" Shana asked.

"Motoko-sempai!" Tsukuyomi cried, raising a hand. Shana elbowed her in the face, sending her flying into the bushes beside the stairs.

"I…I know…your ki aura…its one of hostility…" Shinobu stammered, unconsciously taking a step backwards up the stairs out of fear.

"How perceptive. I guess I was careless." Shana sighed, smiling as she reached into the depths of her robes. "So? What are you going to do about it?"

"B…but…you're a little girl…" Shinobu whimpered, shivering.

"So what? Don't judge a book by its cover." Shana smiled up at Shinobu as she pulled out a black-handled katana out of the infinite recesses of her robes. She swung it around as it finished materializing, leaving faint reddish plasmatic trails in the air. Her hair blew outwards as it suddenly lit up a bright orange as if on fire.

"So Kawaii…" Tsukuyomi cooed, crawling out of the bushes to pat Shana's hair. "OUCH! HOT! HOT!" She cried as she flailed her hand around.

"Sigh….this whole thing was your idea, Tsukuyomi. Now quit fooling around and go up there and find our target." Shana said, nudging Tsukuyomi with her blade. "I'll handle things here."

"I…I'll never forget you…Shana-chan…" Tsukuyomi's eyes watered. "D…don't die…promise me…"

Shinobu couldn't help but sweat-drop big time.

"Shut up and get moving before I turn this into a real tragedy." Shana threatened.

"Please take it easy on her. She has a tendency to overstrain herself sometimes." Tsukuyomi smiled at Shinobu as she walked past her.

"S…Stop…stop right there! I mean it!" Shinobu shouted, grasping the hilt of her katana.

"You want to play with me?" Tsukuyomi asked, smiling sweetly. "Ohh…look, Shana-chan. I got a challenge!"

"Oh….how nice. Now will you please get on with the mission?" Shana asked, her patience already on borderline.

"I think I'll take her on, Shana-chan. She challenged me anyway. Besides, judging by her katana it looks like she's an Urashima-ryu deciple." Tsukuyomi said with glee. "I like cute little Urashima-ryu deciples!" She licked her lips in delight. Shinobu felt a shiver go down her spine.

"Oh whatever. Get out of my way!" Shana shouted, dashing up the stairs.

"N…NO!" Shinobu cried after Shana. She was about to go after Shana when a blade crossed her path.

"Mine…" Tsukuyomi smiled, holding her katana out in front of Shinobu as she unsheathed a short sword. There was something about her eyes that seriously unsettled Shinobu.

Shinobu looked down at the blade. Ok, that counted as unsettling too, and so she put it up higher on her priority list.

* * *

"Oro…Tokyo's so cold…No wonder they always said the big city's so 'cool'. I wonder which was Kanagawa is?" Tsuroko said as she walked past a huge sign which said, 'Welcome to Hokkaido, the northern sanctuary of the Gods'. 

"Haa…HAAAACHOOOO!" The girl in blue sneezed as she watched Tsuroko from atop a lamp post. "Sniffle….Rei-chan…I want to switch places…" she moaned. She looked down at the train schedule in her hands. The next train for Tokyo was scheduled for the next morning. "KAMI-SAMA!" She wailed up at the stars.

* * *

So, will Shinobu-chan win against the frill-obsessed katana-wielding girl? 

Will Keitaro triump over his calculus?

Will Tsuruko ever grow a sense of direction?

Will they repair that totalled train?

Find out in the next chapter of FOREVERMORE!


	4. Chapter 4

Hi, It's been a while. Yes, I know it's been such a long time and I owe everyone here a sincere apology over my absence. So, my deepest apologies. I've been so busy over the past year. So busy that the time to write has been almost non-existent. To be perfectly honest, this chapter has been ready since early this year. But unfortunately I've been really unhappy with how it turned out and I still am, actually. I've been wanting to go over it again but I never get around to it, mostly due to time constraints. But since it's been such a long time and I did promise everyone an update, I decided to put this up. I'm very sorry for the quality of this chapter, and I promise to deliver something at least marginally better next time. Once again, my apologies.

Please, Enjoy. Oh, and I have two other fics up, one titled 'Fornication Under Consent of King' and 'So, What Now, Genius?!' for which I've written small production notes (in case you're silently muttering, 'Oh GAWD, Zeni's gone and written MORE new fics...').

Disclaimer: I don't own Love Hina. It belongs To Akamatsu-sensei.

A BIG thank you to David Alan Abramczyk for kindly proof-reading this. And thank you to all the TFF folks who helped round off what was what could only be described as a really sad attempt at a chapter. THANK YOU!

Chp4: Encounter

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

Somewhere in Hokkaido…

"Where is she…" Kojiro wondered as he walked down the frozen streets of a small town on the edge of Hokkaido. "Where could she have disappeared?" He suddenly noticed a young teenage girl in a white dress and blue vest in the middle of the street, holding what looked like a small humanoid-shaped piece of paper.

(Author's note: if you don't remember who Kojiro is, he's the guy who tried to confess to Tsuruko in chapter 1. He somehow clawed his way back into the story again…surprised me too)

"A shikigami (Japanese magically animated paper constructs, capable of forming live copies of just about anything or anyone)…I should've known…" She sighed, crumpling the small piece of paper in her fist. "Tricking me with a paper copy like that…leading me all the way to Hokkaido…how on earth did she notice she was being followed…" the girl muttered to herself. "KAMI-SAMA!" She wailed up at the sky, before sighing and turning around, coming face to face with a slightly bewildered Kojiro.

"Errr, excuse me…did you see a young woman in a hakama and gi come by here?" Kojiro asked.

"Nope. Sorry, bud, if you're looking for the cosplay contest, it's that way." She said testily, jabbing an unhelpful thumb over her back and walking past him.

"A…are you sure?" Kojiro turned around to ask her again. For just a moment he was aware that he was wearing a simple hakama and gi in the middle of a small Hokkaido town. Yes, cosplay was the word. When he turned around, she was already gone.

"Grr…that girl is wily one…" A figure standing in the darkness of a nearby alleyway muttered, before dissolving into the darkness.

---------------------------------

"NYAAAAAA!" Shinobu shouted a Sunday morning cartoon equivalent of a battle cry as she delivered a well calculated series of thrusts and slashes. Tsukuyomi, was quickly getting cornered, though she had managed to parry and dodge each and every attack.

Just as Shinobu was about to deliver the finishing thrust, she found herself stepping on air. "KYAAAAAAAA!" She flailed around as she realized she had run out of space on the small landing. Tsukuyomi, who was a few steps below, smiled her usual bright smile.

"Awww…such a cute fighting style" she cooed, as Shinobu lost her balance and fell backwards on her back. "You've never really had real battlefield experience, have you? It's all well if you have good footwork on solid flat ground…but in a real battle you'd have to adapt to your environment…" She said in a sing-song voice, before she started running up the stairs straight at Shinobu who was still on the ground.

"Itadakimasu!" Tsukuyomi shouted, dragging her katana through the concrete steps, blasting it apart and leaving a wide trench in the concrete. She swung it upwards at Shinobu who barely managed to roll backwards out of the way.

Tsukuyomi followed through her attack with another downwards thrust. Shinobu brought her blade up to counter. Sparks and ki discharge blew over them as the two steel edges struck one another. They continued to exchange blows as they moved backwards and forwards across the narrow landing.

Shimmering waves of light were sparkling all along Tsukuyomi's katana's edge as she swung it around. Wide arcs of bluish white ki discharges followed in its wake as it started to pick up speed and power.

Shinobu's blade shook violently with each strike. It was ringing. The shocks were threatening to shatter all the bones in her arm. She leapt backwards out of the fray, gasping for breath.

"Getting tired?" Tsukuyomi smiled, twirling her katana. "And it's your first real battle too….what a pity. Well…you're not what I came for. Besides, you're too cute to kill." She smiled a small smile as she turned to continue up the stairs, as if Shinobu had been an interesting pebble she had stopped to stare at on her way up. "If only I weren't here to meet Motoko-sempai, I would've taken you for myself." She giggled.

Shinobu's body was shaking uncontrollably. She realized that. It was fear. Pure, cold, fear.

Her legs could barely move. She felt it in her knees. They were starting to give away. Her arms were aching from the repeated shocks. Blisters had started to form on her hands. She looked up at Tsukuyomi. Then she remembered her sempai. A new strength took control of her. She clenched her fists around the handle of her prized katana and scowled up at her opponent.

"No! Stop!" Shinobu cried out. "URASHIMA-RYU! Hoshi no Mai!" She screamed as she rushed out at the girl, her blade blazing bluish white with concentrated ki as it rushed through the air.

"You still have a bit of fight left, I see…" Tsukuyomi smiled. "All right then…let's play a little more…" She smiled, raising her katana once more.

----------------------------------------------

"This place is kinda nice, actually…" Shana said to herself, looking around as she dashed across the front courtyard…before bumping into something soft.

"Ouch! Hey! Watch where you're going!" Shana shouted at the object. Then she noticed that whatever it was, it belonged to someone. She slowly raised her head up to look into the face of the said owner. "Oh, so you put those two soft things there. Well, excuse me, I've got to meet someone." She said, navigating around the light-blue haired girl.

She bumped into her again. "Hey! Get out of my way!"

Rei stubbornly remained in place.

Shana slowly stepped to one side. Rei followed and placed herself in front of her.

Rei quickly shifted in the other direction. Rei followed.

"Ok, so you won't let me through?" Shana asked.

Rei just stood motionless, looking down at Shana. A few silent moments went by. Well…silent aside from the sound of clashing steel and the battle cries coming from the steps below.

"Wait! I know you!" Shana started, pointing a triumphant finger at Rei. "You're…"

"Not this again…" Rei shook her head, sighing.

"That girl from Wonderful Days!" Shana cried.

"NO! THAT'S JUST A SPINOFF FROM NGE! NOT TO MENTION YOU GOT THE TITLE WRONG! IT'S FRIGGING ANGELIC DAYS, YOU MORON! AND MY HAIR AND EYES ARE COMPLETELY NATURAL! I'VE GOT A CLINICAL CERTIFICATE TO PROVE IT!" Rei screamed, throwing her katana to the ground before jumping up and down on it.

"Do I detect the birth of a recurring gag?" Shana asked, cocking her head to one side thoughtfully.

"No, it was already brought up this afternoon." Rei said, lowering her volume back down to a bare whisper.

"Ah…" Shana pouted. "And I thought I was the first. So it's already a recurring gag? Wait….that means your name's actually Rei Ayanami? And you've got a wardrobe consisting of only your school uniform?" Shana asked, gasping.

"….." A dark aura permeated into the air surrounding them as Rei gently kneeled down to pick up her katana. As she rose, a blast of cold, dark aura blew up from the ground she stood on.

"Geez, no need to get that angry. At least I didn't suggest you might have a pair of cracked specs belonging to your crush sitting atop your dresser in your miserable, austere little room." Shana sighed, shaking her head. She looked up at Rei and noticed she was quivering. "Oh…so you DO have a pair of cracked specs belonging to your crush sitting atop your dresser in your…."

An explosion suddenly rocked the Hinata-Sou's front courtyard. What happened afterwards could only be described in terms of blast radius.

-----------------------------------------

"What…?" Tsukuyomi wore an expression of utmost surprise. Her katana, crackling violently with pure ki, had stopped a mere few centimetres from Shinobu's head. Shinobu's katana too, still shaking with pent up energy, had stopped a few centimetres from Tsukuyomi's frill-clad body.

There was a katana and a sheath in the way. Both Tsukuyomi and Shinobu traced the katana and sheath back to the hands of its owner who was smiling brightly. "Oro? Is this the Hinata-Sou?"

Tsukuyomi and Shinobu couldn't help but look at one another before giving the owner of the katana another look.

-------------------------------------------

"So tell me! Why did you ditch Shinji in favour of that man who saw nothing but his dead wife in you?!" Shana shouted, throwing out a horizontal slash at Rei.

Rei dodged with a side roll and raised her katana. "I'M NOT SOME COSPLAYER! AND I DIDN'T COME FROM NGE!" She screamed, pure ki discharge flowing down her katana. "I HAD THAT NAME AND APPEARANCE FIRST! IT'S NOT MY FAULT THEY DECIDED TO MAKE…." Rei paused for breath. She decided to forget the rest of the sentence. It was stupid anyway.

"Hah! I don't see what Shinji saw in you, but he was a pretty sad boy anyway." Shana smirked, raising her katana to defend herself. Sparks and ki discharge blew across the courtyard as their blades met with a resounding clang. Shana sidestepped the deadlock and executed a perfect spiral upwards slice, sending a spiral wave of burning red ki outwards.

There was no escape. Rei raised her blade to defend. The impact from the ki threw her backwards across the courtyard. "I'M…." She began, screeching to a stop. "NOT SOME OTAKU PLAYTHING!" Rei screamed, raising her katana. She executed a clean slice downwards which sent a wave of ki roaring through the concrete straight towards Shana, leaving a huge trench in its wake.

Shana leapt up into the air to avoid the wave but quickly found the error in her action. Rei was already above her, waiting for her, her katana raised above her head.

"Well….I know there's a lot you can do with an N2 mine such as blowing yourself up….but what could you do with a katana?" Shana taunted, raising her katana to counter.

They crossed swords, releasing ki discharges in all directions as they descended towards the earth. Just before they hit the ground, both drew back their blades.

"Eat this FLIPPED Child…" Shana shouted.

"DIE!" Rei screamed.

Both lashed their katanas out at each other. The explosion resulting from the ki discharge sent both reeling backwards to opposite sides of the courtyard.

"Not bad…for a shy little introvert…" Shana smirked.

"And I've just figured out where I've seen you before…" Rei said, smiling.

"Oh really? It can't be the same loserville you came from." Shana returned the smile.

"Shakugan no Shana." Rei pointed out.

"…." Silence reigned supreme for a few moments.

"H…How dare you…..you compare me to….to that…that….snobbish, sardonic, bitter, world weary brat of a sacrificial warrior…." Shana hissed in a low voice. "DIE!"

"BRING IT ON! LAME DAZE!" Rei shouted. (quick note – Rei was making a pun on 'flame haze', Shana's title.)

----------------------------------------

"Yes….I've heard a lot about you, you're Shinobu Maehara…Keitaro's told me a lot about you." The smiling young woman in the hakama and gi persisted, as if all that was happening was a Saturday morning social call. "But I don't remember him mentioning you, though…but you do look familiar…"

"Ah…me?" Tsukuyomi suddenly said in a sweet voice. She threw aside her katana, which dissolved into the darkness of the forest.

"Remember me, sempai? It's Tsukuyomi-chan! From the dojo, remember?" she said excitedly, as if all that had happened before was a figment of everyone else's imagination. There was, unmistakably, a large sweat-drop down one side of her face.

"Oro, fancy meeting you out here, Tsukuyomi-chan. I didn't recognize you in that….is that a dress? It looks like you dropped it in a mincer instead of a washing machine…" the young woman said with concern. "Perhaps I could fix it for you?"

"N…no. It's fine. It's supposed to be like that." Tsukuyomi smiled sweetly. It was obvious that this little girl was one who knew power when she saw it.

"So you've moved out of the school? How nice…It's good to get training in the outside world." The young woman smiled. "Did I intrude on an argument of some sort?" At that exact moment the Universal Tome of Records automatically recorded the Universal record for understatements.

"Umm…anou…" Shinobu blushed profusely, suddenly feeling a bit silly holding her katana out. She quickly sheathed her katana and hid it behind her back. There was something about this woman…as if the last thing you wanted to happen, or indeed, will be the last thing that will happen to you, is for her to find out you've committed some naughty little deed. "No…" She mumbled awkwardly.

"Well then, that's very nice." The woman smiled her strange smile. "Next time you should settle your differences around a nice cup of tea…I always find that very…nice…" She said, in her sing-song voice. It carried overtones of a heavier, darker kind, which basically said, "If I find you children fighting like that again, heads will roll, and it won't stop at heads." The words were hidden, yet apparent to the inner-child of everyone in her presence. It was the perpetual fear of maternal reproach, the kind with a chainsaw behind it.

"Now…we'd best go in. Children shouldn't be out in the dark at this time of the night." The woman smiled, steering Shinobu and Tsukuyomi up the stairs.

"By the way, forgive my rudeness. I haven't even introduced myself, have I, Shinobu-chan?" The woman said. "My name's Aoyama Tsuroko…I think you know my sister."

Almost imperceptibly, both Shinobu and Tsukuyomi gulped. They couldn't help but give each other worried glances.

As they came up onto the courtyard…correction, decimated courtyard, their eyes fell upon two figures who had froze mid-strike as Tsuruko arrived.

Shana, who was running up towards Rei, had froze with one foot in the air. She wobbled uncertainly, still frozen with shock, before falling over. "Ah….ahahahaha….Tsuruko-sama…" Shana laughed uneasily, quickly stowing away her blade in her convenient black cloak.

"Oh, Shana-chan. I didn't expect to see you here too. Did you move out together with Tsukuyomi-chan?" Tsuruko asked, smiling her usual gentle smile.

"Ah…" Shana looked over at Tsukuyomi who immediately gave an urgent nod. "Ah, yes, Tsuruko-sama, we thought we'd go out and follow in Motoko-sempai's footsteps." Shana quickly spurted, scratching the back of her head, bobbing up and down uncertainly.

"Tsuruko-sama." Rei gave a respectful little bow to Tsuruko.

"Oh, Rei-chan. I didn't know you were living here too. That's comforting to know." Tsuruko bowed gently in Rei's direction. "By the way….what happened here?"

"Oh, this? Uhh…we were just helping this lady here cleaning. I think a brief yet powerful typhoon hit Tokyo today…" Shana explained, still laughing her nervous laugh.

"Oro, is that so? How very nice of you." Tsuruko clapped her hands together. "Well, I think I should go look for the manager…oh, and my little sister off course. Shana, you shouldn't stay out too long. Little children should be indoors at this time of the night." She kindly reproached.

"Yes, Tsuruko-sama. We're on our way inside, right now." Shana said. "After you, Tsuruko-sama." She gestured for Tsuruko to lead.

"Why, thank you, Shana-chan." Tsuruko said.

"What do we do?" Shana hissed urgently to Tsukuyomi as they fell into step behind Tsuruko. Tsukuyomi could only shake her head and sigh.

Shinobu tailed close behind, somehow feeling comfortable for the company, even if it was a company of enemies. They seemed as harmless as her laundry compared to the beautiful, elegant, yet modest looking woman now striding up towards the Hinata Sou.

And was that a katana she saw Rei hide? 'must've been my imagination…' She thought.

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"All right….this is it, Urashima!" Motoko bellowed, aiming her katana at him. They were all oblivious to the chaos that was happening back at the inn. The water fall thundered behind them as they prepared for their final showdown. Well…at least Motoko prepared. Keitaro, on the other hand, was making a show of not knowing how to hold a katana. "I officially challenge you! If you win, I'll do whatever you like. If I win, you get the hell out of Hinata-Sou!"

"Huh?! Wait, I can't defeat you at kendo!" Keitaro shouted.

"Shinmei-ryu! Ougi! ZAN GAN KEN!" Motoko cried, sending a wave of ki screaming in Keitaro's direction. Keitaro yelped and leapt out of the way as the ki wave blasted a rock behind him into smithereens.

"HWAAAAA! SAVE ME!" Keitaro wailed, running for his life as ki wave after ki wave raged after him, shredding everything in their path.

"Hehe, go Keitaro!" Suu shouted from the sidelines.

"Yeah, just try and stay alive!' Mitsune added, swigging down beer. Naru meanwhile, was watching with an expression of mild interest mixed with slight boredom, a very queer combination.

"HEY! You guys can't just watch as if this is just some cheap snuff movie!" Keitaro cried, running across the battlefield as Motoko blasted everything in his wake.

"Oh, there they are…" Tsuruko smiled, entering the clearing by the waterfall.

"How did you know they'd be here?" Tsukuyomi asked, slightly curious.

"I can smell them…" Tsuruko playfully patted her nose.

"Awawawawa! Keitaro-sempai is fighting Motoko-sempai! Someone's got to save him!" Shinobu cried frantically. Keitaro had taken to hiding behind a convenient rock.

"Don't worry, the victor's decided." Tsuroko said in a satisfied manner. Motoko split the said no-longer-convenient-rock in two.

"but…but…if Motoko-sempai wins, Keitaro-sempai will die…" Shinobu cried in panic. Keitaro scrambled across the decimated battlefield and hid behind the waterfall.

"Who said I was referring to Motoko?" Tsuruko said, a satisfied smile on her face. Motoko slowly came up towards the waterfall, raising her katana over her head, ready to murder the poor soul hiding behind the waterfall. She split the said waterfall clean in two, causing Keitaro to scream in fear. Cheesy thriller movie sound effect plays.

"But…but…Keitaro-sempai wouldn't raise a hand against anyone!" Shinobu cried. Keitaro scrambled and clawed his way up a tree.

"Ah…you've got a point." Tsuruko sighed. Motoko cut down the said tree, sending Keitaro spinning towards the ground.

"Is that Urashima Keitaro? I thought he was a lot stronger than that…" Shana said, folding her hands. Keitaro leaped in the river.

"Apparently so…but perhaps he saves his strength for real battles, rather than meaningless duels…" Tsukuyomi reasoned. Motoko followed Keitaro into the river.

"Oh, Shinobu-chan! We were wondering where you went…eh?" Naru walked over to the group by the opening to the clearing. "Visitors?". Motoko split the said river in two.

"Oh, more spectators?" Mitsune asked, standing up and following Naru. Suu too followed out of curiosity. Keitaro held up his katana in defense.

"Ah, it's a pleasure to make your acquaintance. My name's Aoyama Tsuruko." Tsuruko bowed politely. Motoko split the said katana in two.

"Aoyama? So you're Motoko's sister?" Mitsune asked.

"Yes, I am. Thank you all for taking care of my little sister." Tsuruko said in a grateful tone.

"My name's Tsukuyomi." Tsukuyomi added. "It's a pleasure." Keitaro was desperately trying to climb the cliff by the waterfall.

"And I'm Shana." Shana said. Motoko split the entire face of the cliff in two.

Naru, Mitsune, and Suu proceeded to casually introduce themselves as Keitaro fell on top of Motoko. The impact knocked the two of them out.

"Oh, the battle's ended…" Tsuruko said, looking around and noticing that Keitaro and Motoko were both knocked out cold.

"Sempai!" Shinobu cried, tears streaming out of her eyes.

"…oh man…a tie?" Mitsune asked, scratching the back of her head.

"What were the chances of that, I wonder…" Naru asked.

"Well, well…hello there, you two…" Tsuruko said cheerfully as she looked down at the tangle of arms of legs sprawled in the mud.

"Unnhhh…" Motoko stirred. She slowly opened her eyes. They fluttered wide open when she realized who it was looking down at her. "ANEUE!" She cried out, trying her best to sink into the ground, with no luck whatsoever.

"Tsu-chan!" Keitaro cried in surprise as he too regained consciousness.

Motoko looked around at Keitaro in surprise, shock, and utter disdain.

"How dare you speak to my sister in such a heathen tone. You shall pay for your…" Motoko started.

"Greetings, honoured husband." Tsuruko greeted Keitaro, bowing slightly, a slight edge of playfulness in her voice.

"…husband?" Keitaro asked, slightly confused, his eyes narrowing as he tried to process this in his currently dimmed mind.

"….h…h…husband?!" Motoko stammered, before falling unconscious out of shock.

"What happened?" Mitsune asked as the others arrived at the scene. They had absolutely no idea what had happened.

"Oro…and I thought Motoko-chan knew…" Tsuruko giggled. "This is going to be fun, ne, Kei-kun?" Tsuruko smiled to Keitaro.

"Eh?" Keitaro just let his head fall back into the ground. All this was too much to handle.

"Hey, wasn't there supposed to be one more person on this mission?" Shana asked aside to Tsukuyomi. "If Tsuruko-sama's here then we're going to need reinforcements…."

"Oh, him? Well, they dispatched him yesterday, the same day they dispatched us, so he'll arrive here in about a week's time." Tsukuyomi said, shrugging.

"…a week?" Shana asked. "Why a week? He has a lot to prepare or something?"

"No. It's Ryoga." Tsukuyomi said, as if that one name explained everything.

"Oh….right…Ryoga…" Shana sighed.

---------------------------------------------

Meanwhile…in Kyoto….

"YOU SENT WHO?!" Tennouji boomed, squeezing his sake cup so hard it smashed into a thousand cheap ceramic pieces.

"…err…as I said, m'lord, I sent Shana, Tsukuyomi, and Ryoga…" The spiky red haired youth replied.

"Reno….I told you to have Keitaro Urashima assassinated….not entertained. What are you trying to do, make him laugh to death?" Tennouji asked, standing up in a towering rage. "Shana's always too busy being a bitter, world weary sacrificial warrior who always stops to spit out sardonic, over-dramatized comments. Tsukuyomi's so bubbly and ditzy she can't help falling in love with anything frilly. And Ryoga can't find his own feet without a GPS!" Tennouji spat.

"Err….who should I have sent then?" the young man named Reno asked. "Well, perhaps we can send in Roronoa Zoro…or Sagara Sousuke…maybe I can go myself?"

"We need somebody with a brain….which means we can't send you. Somebody with a sense of direction….which means Zoro is out of the question. He believes north is whatever direction he's facing. And somebody who can take out the target quietly without drawing too much attention….which means trigger-happy Sagara is off the list completely. I want that heir killed. Not nuked."

"But…we have nobody else…except for….her…" Reno said, suddenly shivering in fear.

The lights suddenly flickered of their own accord. A roll of thunder boomed outside.

"…Send in Roronoa Zoro and Sagara. Be sure to give Zoro a GPS and Sagara a stick of bubblegum." Tennouji said.

"I can understand giving Zoro a GPS, but why a stick of bubblegum to Sagara?" Reno asked.

"Because if we give him a stick of bubblegum, the worst we can expect is an entire neighbourhood disappearing off the face of the earth. Now get moving." Tennouji said. Reno immediately ran off.

Then he came back. "Sir?"

"Yes, Reno?" Tennouji asked in a drawn out patient tone.

"What about….her, sir?" Reno asked.

The lights flickered again. This time, the ground shook slightly.

"NO RENO!" Tennouji screamed, picking up a tea tray and hurling it at Reno which smashed on the wall around which Reno disappeared.

More thunder boomed in the distance.

"SHUT UP!" Tennouji screamed up at the ceiling. "I'M NOT AFRAID OF YOU!"

---------------------------------------------

Meanwhile…far away in Hokkaido…

"Haa….haaatchoooo!" the young girl in blue sneezed. "Sniffle…I'll…I'll find you…Tsu-chan….I…HAAATCHOOO! I will….and…Rei-chan…I will kill you….sniffle…" She shivered as she dragged herself down the snowy street. "I….swear…"

"TSURUKO-SAN!" A voice called out in the night. The forlorn form of Kojiro stood atop a tall spire. "ANSWER ME!"

"SHUT UP!" Someone shouted from a window below. "WE'RE TRYING TO SLEEP HERE, YOU IDIOT!"

"Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me!" Kojiro shouted back before resuming. "TSURUKO-SAN!"

The silhouette of Kojiro against the pale white moon toppled and fell as what looked like a heavy bound dictionary made contact with his head.

"Ara? Is this Okinawa?" Another figure bent over Kojiro's prostate form and asked. "Ara? Oh, he's sleeping…" She said to what looked like a turtle that was perched atop her head.

"Myuuu…" the turtle replied, landing on the dictionary.

"Me too." The figure said. "I'm sure Okinawa was warmer when I left…and no, you shouldn't do that on the dictionary. I think it's more proper to use newspaper."

"Excuse me? Hi, my name's Ryoga. Do you know which way Tokyo is?" A voice asked from behind the Okinawan girl.

SPLASH…

"SHUT UP WILL YOU?! WE'RE TRYING TO SLEEP!" The owner of the dictionary shouted, pouring a bucketful of freezing cold water out of his window down into the street below.

"Ara?" The Okinawan turned around to face the source of the voice, only to see nobody. "Ara?" She looked around, before noticing a black little pig lying in a puddle of water in the snow. "Aww…so cute…" She cooed, picking up the little black pig, which frantically tried to escape. "Here, have a watermelon." She smiled, bringing a watermelon down on the pig which squealed in horror before it passed out from the having its snout crashed into a watermelon.

"Ara? You fell asleep?" The Okinawan asked. "Oh well, I can't take the watermelon with me and it'll be a waste if nobody eats it…" The Okinawan sighed. "Oh, I'll just give it to this sleeping man." She smiled at her brainwave. She held the watermelon over Kojiro's head and released it.

"Ah…it feels good doing good deeds…" The Okinawan smiled as she disappeared into the mist. The turtle made some half-hearted attempts at poking the watermelon covered body awake before giving it one last "myuu", scraping some dirt onto the body, and flying off after the Okinawan.

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To be continued….SEE YOU NEXT UPDATE!


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